Norman Ray Roberts

Norman Ray Roberts was born April 19, 1933 in Keyes, Oklahoma. He is the eldest child of Donn and Gladis Roberts, along with 4 younger sisters. Norm graduated from Keyes Oklahoma High School on May 18, 1951 and promptly enlisted in the US Navy, starting training on July 31, 1951. He was quoted as saying “After growing up in a small farming town, I wanted to see the world – and I did,” while serving on aircraft carriers USS Yorktown (CVA-10) and USS Princeton (CVA-37) as VF-152 during the Korean war conflict. Norman was honorably discharged on July 30, 1959. During his enlistment, Norm met 21-year old Maria Langiotti in 1952 at the Contact Center sponsored by the Christian Business Men of San Francisco Bay Area. They fell in love and were married on April 09, 1954. The marriage union lasting 62 years until his death. Norman was a Fireman for 10 years at Station 9 in San Jose, California. Norm said while being a fireman was certainly interesting, he grew tired of the chaotic schedule and several “deadly close calls” convinced him that a father with a growing family should find something more conventional and with regular hours. He accepted a position with Viking Sauna Corporation for another decade as production manager. While working for Intel Corporation, Norman transferred to Oregon in 1976 and finally settled in Vernonia, Ore in 1978. He retired from Intel in 1995 at the age of 62. Norman was Ham Radio Extra Class license KB7CD (formerly WA6KEC), and started out as WB6PYQ in 1961. He was active on HF, 2 Meters AM & FM, and also some experimental microwave frequencies. He used his Ham Radio skills to set up an emergency station to dispatch and relay information to the Red Cross when the December 2007 floods left his hometown of Vernonia buried under several feet of water. His hobbies extended to wood-working, radio-controlled airplanes, cars, and boats, and loved playing Flamenco Spanish classical music on his acoustic guitar, with Carlos Montoya as his hands-down favorite. In the last few years, Norm created and guided the Vernonia, Oregon Amateur Radio club. He was a long time member of the Portland United Church of God. Norman Roberts died peacefully on May 04, 2016 at the age of 83. Norman is survived by his wife Maria and their four children: Donald Roberts, Cynthia Roberts, Tamara Roberts Trueblood, and David Roberts, as well as an additional 11 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. Service Information