Obituary of Barclay Martin Roberts, III

 

Barclay (Skip) Martin Roberts III passed away on November 28, 2020, at the age of 76 from complications of Esophageal Cancer. He was born in Portland to Barclay and Francis Roberts on Feb 28, 1944.

Skip was a Catholic school kid:  St Charles, St Rose, Central Catholic, and the University of Portland where he received a BA in History and studied abroad in Salzburg, Austria. He was a faithful member of Sigma Tau Fraternity.

Every friend of Skip’s was a forever friend. He gathered with his fraternity brothers and classmates to have regular breakfasts, play basketball, go fishing, and crabbing. Before his cancer diagnosis last fall, he played basketball three times a week. He also played softball but his favorite position was Dugout Clown.

After college graduation, Skip was drafted into the US Army and spent two years in Vietnam. Writing letters back and forth kept him connected to the family and friends waiting for him at home.

Skip met Carol Smith in 1969, fell in love, and stayed in love with her for 51 years.  Carol was impressed by his charm, good looks, and Blue Blood sounding name, but it was the caring and tender relationship he had with his grandmother that convinced her to marry him after only 4 months of dating. To her, it told her everything she needed to know about Skip’s character. 

After they married, Skip decided to get his MBA at Portland State. Luckily, Carol had a good job at the bank and could put food on the table and cheap wine in the fridge while he went to school. Through good times and bad times, they could always make each other laugh.

Skip and Carol raised sons Kyle and Zakery and daughter Sara Anna together in the Rose City neighborhood. They never missed a day supporting their children’s activities and sports teams and Skip treasured his years coaching Little League. He happily took vacation time to travel to tournaments.

Skip was a 40-year employee of Traveler’s Insurance. In his work as in his life, he made everyone he met feel important. His children would lose patience waiting for their Dad to finish talking with busboys, store clerks, and the guy pumping his gas. But Skip never tired of making connections and encouraging everyone who crossed his path.  

Besides his family and sports, Skip’s passions were reading history books, fishing, and mastering the computer. His friends knew how much, Skip loved the movie the Big Lebowski and showered “The Dude” with hats, T-shirts, and Pendleton’s collector version of the famous Lebowski sweater.

Skip spent the last 8 months of his life at Providence Hospital, but in September he got to come home for a few days. His fraternity brothers staged a car parade for Skip that caused a traffic jam in Rose City. Over 65 decorated carloads of family, friends and neighbors stopped to be greeted curbside by Skip from his wheelchair. As the traffic backed up, he got to tell each person how much they meant to him and feel their love and encouragement. The video from that day is a testament to The Dude and all the people who loved him. 

Skip was predeceased by his beautiful daughter Sara Anna (who like her Dad could own any room she entered), his parents, and brother Monroe (Cap) Roberts.   Skip’s beloved wife Carol, sons Kyle and Zakery, granddaughter Kailee Philips, and sister ’n law Nancy Fisher along with many nieces and nephews survive him. All are thankful that Skip’s struggles are over but will miss him every day of their lives. The only thing bigger than their loss is the pride they feel to have been Skip Roberts’ beloved family.

 

Rest in peace, dear Skip.   “The Dude Abides.”  

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Oregon Food Bank.   

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