Francis Emma Jane Roberts
Francis Emma Jane Roberts, 90, Lake Mills, passed away Sunday, June 3, 2018 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 30, at Asbury United Methodist Church, Lake Mills, with Pastor Rob Lanphere officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Asbury United Methodist Church, Lake Mills, or Hospice of North Iowa, Mason City.
Emma Jane was born March 10, 1928 in Dickens, Nebraska to Leslie and Vera (Reed) Griffiths, the third of eight children. She was a loving daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother who was dedicated to her family. She attended rural school in the Dickens area and High School in Curtis, Neb., where she graduated in1945.
During WWII while her brother, Eugene, was in the U.S. Army, she was very proud of helping her father in the fields. She once helped hand out food to the WWII troops on the trains that stopped at the North Platte, Neb., station.
Emma Jane taught country school. Then Nov. 27, 1948, she married Wayne Roberts in Ogallala, Neb. She enjoyed telling stories of the approximately 50 different addresses and places she had lived. Emma Jane had been an active member of her Circle and the Asbury Methodist Church. At one time, Emma Jane delivered Meals on Wheels, was a frequent blood donor, and played in several card clubs.
She worked in Stitchcraft-Winnebago for 16 years and later liked spending time fishing and socializing with friends at their Red Lake property and traveling to visit relatives, especially grandchildren.
Emma Jane is survived by her husband, Wayne Roberts, Lake Mills; sons: Jerry (Linda Giese), Mason City; and Steve (Deb), Lake Mills; grandchildren: Mike Larson, Stacy (John) League, Wade (Jen) Roberts, and Jason (Michele) Roberts; great-grandchildren; brother, Harold (Shirley) Griffiths; sister, Edith (Dennis) Ekdahl; and many nieces, nephews, and other extended family.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers: Eugene and LeRoy Griffiths; sisters: Myrtle Goedecke, Rosemary Jones, and Phyllis Connell; and grandchildren: Angela and Jarrett Roberts.
