Jack Roberts

Jack E. Roberts, 97, of Fruitland, Idaho passed away Thursday, October 17, 2024.  

Jack was born March 11, 1927, in Berkeley, California to Howard L. and Margaret V. Roberts.  Jack was raised in East Oakland, California and graduated from Fremont High School in 1944. He attended University of California, Berkely and after one year of college, enlisted in the United States Coast Guard.  He served for 18 months ending as Radio School Instructor at Atlantic City, New Jersey.  During this time, he earned his Ham Radio Operator’s License before being honorably discharged. Jack then returned to school and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1949 with a degree in biological sciences.  

While studying at Berkeley, Jack would spend his summers in Portland, Oregon where he stayed with extended family.  During one of those summers, he worked as an orderly at Holiday Park Hospital in Portland.  While there, he met an RN, his future bride and love of his life, Alice Peck. Between summer visits to Portland, they began to correspond by mail regularly while Jack was completing his education in California.  Jack completed the medical technologist training program and became a Registered Medical Technologist in 1952.  He and Alice married that same year. That fall, Jack and Alice moved to Corvallis, Oregon.  Alice worked as an RN at the Corvallis Clinic while Jack attended graduate school at Oregon State University.  Jack earned his MS in Microbiology in 1954 and went on to earn his PhD in Microbiology/Biochemistry in 1956. 

While in Corvallis, Jack and Alice welcomed 3 daughters, Sylvia, Janine, and Denise to their family.  Just days after the birth of their third daughter and Jack’s graduation from Oregon State, the young family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where Jack taught at Colorado A&M ’56-’57 as assistant professor of microbiology.  While there, Jack joined the United States Public Health Service and held an inactive commission for 15 years. 

After two years in Fort Collins, Jack left academia and moved his family to Frankfort, Michigan where he accepted a position with Pet Ritz Division of Pet Milk.  While in Frankfort, they welcomed their fourth daughter, Wendy. 

Over his career, Jack held technical management positions with a series of food companies that took him and his family all over the country.  He held positions at Pet Ritz Division of Pet Milk in Frankfort, Michigan; Nodaway Valley Foods in Corning, Iowa (during his time in Iowa, he studied and passed the federal exam to become a stock broker); American Home Foods (Chef Boyardee) in New York City (while living in White Plains); Chun King Foods in Duluth, Minnesota; Reynolds Foods in Winston-Salem, NC. In 1974, Jack joined Ore-Ida Foods, a subsidiary of H. J. Heinz as Manager of Technical Services, where he worked until he retired in 1992.

Jack led a busy life, enjoying his work, his community, and his church.  He was an active and dedicated member at St. Paul Lutheran Church, and his deep faith sustained him throughout his life. After retiring, he continued to work as a volunteer for Tax Aide, Friends of the Library, Love, INC., and Malheur County on Aging- Community Services.  He also served on the Governor's Commission for Senior Citizens for four years. 

Jack was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Together, Jack and Alice enjoyed music, travel, church, and family. His children remember a great father who spent time with them on picnics, playing games, and teaching them to play the piano and drive the car. He was a patient listener with his grandchildren and delighted in watching them grow.  Jack was always working to keep his mind sharp. He was an avid reader, enjoyed studying and learning obscure vocabulary words as well as doing sudoku puzzles.  Jack remained in Ontario, Oregon until Alice’s passing in 2016 when he moved to Edgewood, Spring Creek in Fruitland, Idaho.

Jack is survived by his four daughters: Sylvia (Byron) Nagaki, Payette, ID- Kara (Aaron) Mott (Katelynn, and Christopher), and Robert (Tiffany) Nagaki; Janine Day, Walnut Cove, N.C.- Patrick (Ashley) Day (Charley), Thomas (Carla) Day (Kathrine); Denise Roberts, Huntington, NY- Emily (Andrew) Walsh (Jack and Nina), Andrew Krainer, and Brian Krainer; Wendy (Dave Atnip) Roberts, Ontario, OR.

Jack is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Helen Lee and his wife Alice. 

A very special, heartfelt “Thank-you” to the wonderful staff at Edgewood Spring Creek, Fruitland, ID. We cannot express enough our appreciation for everything you did for him.  Thank you for loving and caring for him, we know he loved and appreciated all of the staff.

Memorial services have been planned for 10:30 am, Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ontario, Oregon. Jack had requested in lieu of flowers donations be made to the St. Paul Lutheran Church endowment fund. 

Condolences may be made to Jack’s family at afterall.com (Lienkaemper Funeral Chapel).