Roberta Off Fetter

Roberta Fetter was born on July 6, 1929, in Linwood, New Jersey and passed on February 6, 2025, in her home of 26 years on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She was surrounded by her family. She was Mother to her six children, Ken Fetter, Bobbie Larned, Kim Fetter, Keith Fetter, Carol Bartholomew, and Kris Fetter. Grandmother to 14, and Great Grandmother to 7.

Bobbie, as she was affectionately known, played many roles in her lifetime and had shared lasting impactful moments with those she interacted with. She was a graduate of Atlantic City Friends School, where at the age of six met her Husband, Kenneth Byard Fetter. Ken and Bobbie Fetter were fortunate to spend 75 years of marriage together, until Ken’s passing on January 17th, 2025, nearly 3 weeks prior.

Amongst many other roles, some of her most memorable were leadership positions she held with the Charity League, Atlantic City Day Nursery, Miss America Pageant, March of Dimes, and local parent teacher association. As a person who refused to ever be dealt a bad hand, she found ways to marry her passions and her strengths into a life that was her own. Her creative gifts and early impressions of being raised in the greenhouses that her family owned and operated, decorated her life with color. One of those people whose touch would turn things to gold. It was a common sight to see her at the beach sewing holiday pins for Charity League or designing and sewing dresses for the Miss America pageant of which she was a host for 25 years.

In her early life, as an “Off”, she developed a love for the game of golf which she shared with her 4 brothers Allen, Frank, Scott, and Lou Off. Their childhood home which served as a safe house in the underground railroad back in the day, was adjacent to Linwood Country Club. She recounted a 6-hole loop that would start and finish at their house. There she honed a perfect swing, owed greatly to her natural athletic ability and artful design. Her love for golf was something she shared with family and friends until she retired the wrenches at 90 years old. Bobbie volunteered as a courier for many years at the Heritage Golf Tournament. Even in her declining health, Bobbie made sure to watch the Pebble beach event this past weekend.

On Hilton Head Island you could find Bobbie volunteering with Pockets Full of Sunshine, whose daughter Carol, co-founded. Bobbie co-found the Indigo Run Holiday Card Campaign, an ingenious way to raise money benefitting the Children’s Relief Fund. In these years she was more of a behind the scenes character, though her design could often be found with floral arrangements at Christ Lutheran Church where she was a member and also in attendance at Island Lutheran Church.

Bobbie lived her life in servitude to the Lord and made sure that others felt cared for. Constantly adorned with a brilliant smile and infectious positivity she taught by way of example. To sum up in a few words the spirit that was housed in her body is impossible. The word ‘No’ and the notion that something was impossible were non-existent to her. Her life was an exemplary display of grit and strength amidst towering obstacles, to which she greeted with the warmest smile and unconditional love. When asked what message she would share with the World to better it she said this, “To live a good clean life for your family, and to put your hands in God’s and try to stay well. Do everything right and you will, it can be hard to tell what’s right, but you know what’s wrong. Take time, as a dad you will remember it and your kids will remember it forever.” We love you and live in remembrance of all the time that you took for others in your 95 years. Thank you for a life well lived, Miss America!

Services will be at Island Lutheran Church 4400 Main Street on Hilton Head Island, S.C., Wednesday, February 12th with Visitation beginning at 1:30 PM with a Service to follow at 2:30. Interment will be at Schaefferstown Cemetery in Pennsylvania at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donation in Bobbie’s memory can be made to Pocket’s Full of Sunshine, a non-profit for Adults with Disabilities, an organization near and dear to her heart (pocketsfullofsun.org).