Ethel M. (Shultz) Roberts

Ethel M. Roberts, 94, of Peoria passed away Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at Proctor Place in Peoria.

She was born May 20, 1920, in South Bend, Ind., to Henry F. and Bertha J. (Schemanske) Shultz. She graduated seventh in the Riley High School class of 1938. During World War II, she was employed as an executive secretary at the Studebaker Motor Company. She married Alfred G. Roberts in South Bend on Oct. 21, 1942, and they enjoyed almost 52 happy years, until his passing in 1994.

Al and Ethel lived in South Bend, Elgin and Danville, Ill., before coming to Peoria in 1958, where Al served as CEO of the W.D. Boyce Council, Boy Scouts of America, until he retired in 1977.

She was also quick to volunteer as a school room mother, Cub Scout Den Mother or Girl Scout leader. At her encouragement, all of her sons became Eagle Scouts.

For more than 20 years, she was employed at Retail Credit Company, later known as Equifax. She was a clerical whiz who could type rapidly and take shorthand. Few could match her in terms of productivity. Her co-workers nicknamed her "Sunshine" for her upbeat and cheerful disposition.

Even at home she could never stand to be idle for long. When she finally sat down at the end of her day, she would take up her knitting, crocheting, quilting or sewing, producing sweaters and clothing for herself, her daughters and her granddaughters. She took pride in her own appearance and always looked her best.

She was confirmed in her faith at age 14 and was a member of First Baptist Church for more than 55 years, where she sang in the choir. She was a member of American Baptist Women and especially loved playing the piano for the first-grade Sunday School classes. She never missed a Sunday!

Ethel is survived by four children, Dan (Melody) Roberts of Peoria, Kay (Bill) Griffin of Cary, N.C., Dale (Karen) Roberts of Sugar Grove and Rosie (Tom) Kouri of Peoria; and one sister, Bernice Miller of Paw Paw, Mich.

She was preceded in death by her husband; one son, Douglas in 1975; one brother; and two sisters.

Burial will be at Swan Lake Memory Gardens.

Peoria Journal Star - October 31, 2014.

Source: Ancestry.com

07/03/2023 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138439857/ethel-m.-roberts