Marjorie Casey Friday Roberts, Ph.D.

Marjorie Casey Friday Roberts, Ph.D., of Marblehead — a psychologist, teacher, and co-founder of the Salem Center for Therapy Training and Research — died on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at age 81, of sepsis. Dr. Roberts, known variously as Marjorie, Marty, and to some as “Poppins,” lived a life steeped in empathy, curiosity, and joy.

Marty graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Chatham College in 1966 and earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Boston University in 1975. She practiced psychology until the final year of her life, never retiring out of devotion to her clients and a deep sense of her own life’s purpose. Over the course of her career, she worked at Danvers State Hospital, Northshore Community Mental Health Center, North Shore Community College, and Tufts University. Highlights of her career included international collaborations, authoring numerous journal articles, working with The Taos Institute, and founding the Salem Center for Therapy Training and Research, which became a hub for postmodern thinking, practice, and reflecting dialogues.

As the youngest of three sisters, Marty was lovingly raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by her father, Dr. Rupert H. Friday, and her mother, Mary Lee McAllister Friday, alongside her devoted nanny and friend, Veronica Sedlak. As a child, Marty dreamed of opening an orphanage with Veronica, a licensed practical nurse who inspired her deep admiration for nursing and caregiving. At 16, while in Pittsburgh, she met Thomas Michael Roberts from Fort Wayne, Indiana, her future husband of 57 years. The couple married in 1968 and in 1969 moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts, quickly falling in love with its coastal community, and soon thereafter purchasing a 289-year-old pre-colonial home in Old Town.

They were blessed with two children, Bronwyn and Daniel. Embracing a new adventure outside of the Midwest, Marty and Tom—neither of whom had boating experience—purchased a sailboat and named it “Gal Friday” in her honor. This vessel not only provided them with unforgettable journeys to Marblehead’s stunning harbor islands but also fostered enduring friendships over the next five decades. Together, Marty and Tom reveled in the beauty of coastal life, swimming, boating, and collecting sea glass, with blue being her favorite color. Sea glass would prove a powerful metaphor for her clients and loved ones alike, and an enduring reminder from Marty that broken elements, tumbled by life’s ups and downs can be reshaped into something beautiful and resilient.

When not out on the water with Tom and her family, Marty could often be found tending to her vibrant garden, orchestrating neighborhood gatherings, caring for her succession of beloved black cats, or preparing delicious meals for her family and friends.

Marty cherished lifelong connections with friends and family, both near and far — Pittsburgh very much included. She had a gift for elevating gatherings with rituals that were at once creative, humorous, and deeply meaningful, many of which blossomed into beloved family traditions. Her laurel wreath crowns — a signature blend of her love for nature and symbolism— became treasured centerpieces of Christmas celebrations, birthdays, and poetry readings, imbuing them with a sense of ceremony, peace, and unity. Thoughtful and deeply attuned to the world and its many layers — social, emotional, and human — she left lasting impressions through both her insight and her joy. Her extended family will forever remember the time when she introduced David Roth’s song Rising in Love at a pre-wedding celebration, and, in doing so, shifted hearts and minds toward a fuller understanding of what it means — and how it feels — to experience true love.

Most recently, Marty’s greatest joy was found in spending time with her four grandchildren — Brendan, Rory, Owen, and Luke. She loved cheering them on at their sporting events, baking holiday cookies by their side, and traveling on many vacations together, bringing to each moment her characteristic warmth and whimsy.

Marty is survived by her loving husband, Tom; her sisters Mary Lee Rafferty (Michael G. Rafferty, Jr.) of Stamford, Connecticut, and Anne Friday Parker (Charles H. Parker, M.D.) of Tucson, Arizona; her children, Bronwyn Roberts (with her partner, Padraig Sheehy) and Daniel Roberts, M.D. (with his wife, Brooke Harnisch, M.D.); her grandchildren, Brendan, Rory, Owen, and Luke; and eight nieces and nephews, each of whom she held so close.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 2, 2025, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm Street. A Funeral Mass will follow on Friday, October 3, at 11:00 a.m., at Our Lady Star of the Sea, 85 Atlantic Avenue, Marblehead. Recognizing that travel may be difficult for some, the family invites Marty’s loved ones to celebrate her life in their own way and at a time that feels right for them.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marty’s memory to Salem State University, with “The Veronica Sedlak and Marjorie Roberts Scholarship for Nursing” in the memo line, and sent to the Office of SSU Advancement, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970 or made online at https://participate.salemstate.edu/Marty