Roberta F. Leydon

Roberta Francis Leydon passed away quietly on June 26th, 2017 in Placida, Florida, a place she called home for the last thirty years. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Richard W. Leydon Sr.; her daughter, Lisa M. Leydon of El Jobean, FL, her son, Richard W. Leydon Jr. of Little Gasparilla Island, FL, a Grandson, Richard W. Leydon III, of Little Gasparilla Island, FL: Granddaughters Shannon K. Leydon of Sarasota FL; and Sara Wolpe of Dallas, TX; and her sister, Eleanor Gaffney of East Sandwich, MA. She is predeceased by her parents, Robert and Mary Keady and her oldest sister Virginia Clark of Englewood FL and Manchester NH. Roberta was born in Boston, MA in 1934 and grew up with her sisters in Brookline, MA. She attended Sargent College in Boston, MA and graduated with a B.A. in Physical Education. Roberta met Richard W. Leydon while working at his uncle's summer camp. After dating for six years, they married in 1958 and made a home in Newton, MA. There, they raised two children. Weekends were filled with VW trips to Cape Cod or travels to Vermont and New Hampshire to go skiing. Roberta and Dick were avid sailors and traveled to the Virgin Islands to bareboat with their friends. In 1969, after physically building a home in east Sandwich, Dick and Roberta moved the family to Cape Cod. There she worked as a physical education teacher at Henry T. Wing Elementary School in Sandwich, MA. Her students would remember her for the parachute play and the chicken fat dance. Weekends were spent at horse shows with her daughter or at the beach having cook outs with family and friends. She was even on the front page o the Cape Cod Times riding her hose with ‘peekaboo' the sheep right behind. A loving mom that never missed a high school game or match, she refereed field hockey games for years. She and her sister founded the Cape Cod Field Hockey and Lacrosse camp operating in Dennis, MA. It was an all-girls camp that brought in major women's sports figures as instructors. She and Dick continued their love of sailing and were active members of the Hyannis Yacht Club. There they participated in many of the local races on their boat the ""Hey Jude"" and you might find them in Nantucket or Block Island on any given weekend. During their years in Sandwich, Roberta was elected to the Sandwich School Board and served the community for many years. The family moved south to warmer climates in the 80's and Roberta continued her participation in local sports. They moved to Placida, Florida and eventually to Little Gasparilla Island which is a boat access only island. She easily boated back and forth to the mainland daily to participate at the Englewood Tennis Club with her friend Sue Zipay. Dick and Roberta kept the ""Hey Jude"" busy with gunkholing and several trips to the Dry Tortugas and the Keys, usually with kids and grandkids not far behind. Roberta was a loving, caring, compassionate wife, mother and friend. She fought breast cancer and won. She came back to play tennis after knee surgery, all the while never complaining of her plight. She taught us how to be winners and stand for what was right and principled with love and caring for everyone. She is missed by her family and friends, but the memories will carry on. The stories of her love and strengths are to be shared and remembered by those who were fortunate enough to know her. A celebration of her life will be held on October 8th, 2017 between 1:00 and 4:00 P.M. at 10 Weathervane Lane, Carleton Shores, East Sandwich MA. All are welcome to come and share their memories with family and friends. Contact anyone of the Leydon Family or Friends for more information and directions.