Roberta "Bertie" Ann Broberg

Roberta Ann Broberg, age 82, of Augusta passed away peacefully at home after a grueling 12-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Bertie, as she was best known, was born on October 13, 1942 to Robert & Ruth (Stage) Burgett. She grew up in Galesburg on Sherman Lake. She talked fondly of spending the summers water skiing and enjoying the sun.

While attending Galesburg-Augusta High School, she took a co-op with the Brown Company working in the office. After graduating in 1961, she began her full-time career as an executive secretary. Fiercely independent, Bertie spent her early adult years traveling to Europe with her girlfriends, and driving her 1961 white chevy convertible with red interior around town.

On April 30, 1966, Bertie was united in marriage to Jon Broberg. After they settled into their married life, their world changed forever with the birth of their first son, Scott in 1970, and their family was complete with the birth of their second son, Mike in 1974. A dedicated mother, Bertie was a den mother for the Cub Scouts, an original soccer mom and she maintained the cool house where all the neighbor kids liked to hang out.

Once the kids were in school, Bertie went back to work as a sales consultant for Avon. She built her business as she said, one lipstick sale at a time. She excelled at customer service and at her peak, she had about 300 regular customers. She always maintained it was just a part-time job, and it may have felt that way as she truly loved it, but the hours she dedicated to her craft say otherwise.

Jon and Bertie loved to go north, they bought their first cabin in the woods in Luther and spent several years snowmobiling and mushroom hunting. Eventually, they purchased their cottage on Wolf Lake just north of Baldwin and spent over 30 years loving lake life in the summer, snowmobiling in the winter and always morel mushroom hunting in the spring. Not a single trip north was complete without a trip to the local ice cream shop, Jones’ or to Dublin for jerky.

Family was Bertie’s greatest passion; from dinner served at precisely 5:30 p.m., to big Sunday dinners, she devoted her life to caring for “her guys”. She loved hosting the extended family for holiday gatherings, and she always went overboard with Christmas. Bertie’s heart grew bigger with the arrival of grandchildren and then her great-grandchildren. She always had enough hugs to go around.

Roberta handled life with grace and gratitude. She will be remembered for her personal strength, her cooking especially her custard pies, canning green beans and peaches, reading Prevention magazine and all things Avon.

Bertie is survived by her husband of 58 years, Jon; her sons Scott (Christine) Broberg and Michael (Hanna) Broberg; her grandchildren Kelly (Jon) VanWinkle, Allison Broberg, Madison Miller and Maksim Broberg; her great-granddaughters: Natalie and Parker; her sister Dawn (Chuck) Ayres; her brother-in-law Charlie Broberg; her faithful scruffy dog, Maggie May and many nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Gathering will be held on Sunday January 19, 2025 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Farley-Estes & Dowdle Funeral Home, 9170 E D Ave, Richland, MI 49083.

Memorial Donations in memory of Roberta may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or your favorite local organization.