Joan Tye Roberts

Joan Tye Roberts, age 78, passed away on Saturday morning, July 14, 2012. She was a native of Birmingham and the daughter of Thomas Fred Tye and Frances Kate Shell Tye. Joan attended Ensley High School and obtained her B.A. and Masters in Sociology degrees from UAB. She worked for several years in the public school system, was Assistant to the Dean of Admissions at Birmingham Southern College, and retired as Assistant to the Provost of the University of Montevallo. She married Eugene Edward Roberts, Jr., on February 1, 1953. Joan was an avid Bridge player, a willing volunteer for the Salvation Army, and a gracious hostess to all who entered her home. She was blessed with an abundance of friends, many she traveled with, many she danced with in Spartans, and many she worshipped with at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. And then there is the Inner Circle, with whom she sewed; devoted friends, nurturing each other for over 50 years. Joan was a woman of honor, integrity, and generosity, and as God's child she truly lived her faith. Joan was preceded in death by her brothers, Jack W. Taylor and Hardy S. Taylor, and sister Bettye Taylor Myers. She was a devoted wife and mother, and those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Gene; children, Ed and K. Lynn (Steve) R. Swartley; and four grandchildren, Trevor (Annette) Tye Roberts, Rev. Matthew S. (Katy) Roberts, Amy (Rev. Kyle) R. Schmidt, and Lauren R. Swartley. Survivors also include seven great-grandchildren, Lydia, Peter, Stephen, Silas, Brianna, Brooke, and William Roberts; and several nieces and nephews. The family thanks Dr. David S. Gettinger, Dr. Ronald D. Alvarez, and the wonderful staff at the Palliative Care Unit of UAB for their loving care given to Joan and her family. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Joan's memory to the UAB Center for Palliative Care or the American Cancer Society. Visitation will be from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, July 16, 2012 at Ridout's Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham, with the 3 p.m. funeral service the same day in Southern Heritage Chapel, Pelham. Burial will follow in Southern Heritage Cemetery, Pelham. Joan's grandson, Rev. Matthew Roberts, and her grandson-in-law, the Rev. Kyle Schmidt, will officiate.