Obituary of Howard W. Roberts

Coffeyville - Ike Roberts, 76, of Coffeyville, Kansas, heeded the Lord's call to come home on Sunday evening, August 28, 2011, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him. Services under the direction of David Barnes Funeral Home will be at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, rural Wann, Oklahoma, on Friday, September 2, 2011, at 10:00 am with burial to follow at Robbins Cemetery, with Military Honors conducted by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1022 and American Legion Post #20. The family will receive friends at the Coffeyvile Community College Willard and Pat Walker Alumni Center at 10th & Willow on Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Friends may call at the David W. Barnes Funeral Home in Coffeyville on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Ike was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, on August 12, 1935, and was raised by his grandmother Zilla Roberts Fulton in the Banks community until her death in 1949 and attended the Banks country school and Roosevelt Jr. High School. After her death he went to live with his mother and step-father, Irma and Ralph Perkins in rural Noxie, Oklahoma, and attended Wann High School before joining and finishing his education in the U.S. Air Force. While serving in the Air Force he attended basic training at Parks AFB in California, was a radio operator at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Camp Pierre in Germany, and a teletype operator at Whiteman SAC AFB in Knobnoster, Missouri. He served eight years in the security service operations of the Air Force and proudly told his children about the time he copied a message from President Eisenhower to one of the base commanders while in Weisbaden, Germany. Ike waited for Loretta Jean King to finish high school before their marriage in Gulfport, Mississippi, on June 25, 1955. During their marriage they lived in Biloxi, Mississippi; Warrensburg, Missouri; rural Wann, Oklahoma; and the last 40 years in Coffeyville. In his younger days Ike was known for hay hauling. He hauled hay for most area farmers and ranchers. He worked hard all his life and has held many jobs, as many as three at a time when he was providing for his family. Employers included Acme Foundry, Funks, First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Coffeyville, and Condon National Bank. He drove a First Student school bus serving USD 445 and while employed received "Driver of the Year." He always referred to the children that rode his bus as his "kids" and told them all he hoped they had to drive a bus someday. During his time as a school bus driver he also drove for many Red Raven teams and even decorated his bus with banners before the game to help get the players excited. After his retirement he worked five years for ESCI, a contractor mowing grass for Coffeyville Resources. He was a member of the American Legion Post 20 in Coffeyville and a member of Modern Woodmen for 69 years. When his children were young he helped with little league baseball and softball teams in Wann and in Coffeyville and attended many school events. Ike was a member of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. When he met people he usually would invite them to church. He enjoyed helping with whatever the church needed from mowing and weed eating, repairing or roofing the church, or preparing food for church dinners. His smiling face will be missed by all those who used the front door of the church as he was always there to greet friend and visitor. Memorials may be made to the church seating fund. He was preceded in death by his grandmother, mother, step-father, a sister, Eunice Lewis, father and mother-in-law, George and Eddy King, and grandson Dickie Frost. He is survived by his wife of the home; his children: Vivian and Dick Frost, Coffeyville, Deena and Mike Testerman, Dearing, KS, Jeffrey and Linda Roberts, Bartlesville, OK, Greg Roberts and Linda Driskill, rural Coffeyville; grandchildren: Amber and James Glass, Ellie and Lance Chickadonz, Andrew and Heather Brinker, Amanda and Blair Millemon, Amy Brinker, Katy and Taylor Martin, Jeffrey Roberts Jr., Justin and Ashley Roberts, Paige Testerman, Jai Ja Arnold White, Erin, Kayla, and Logan Furry, Jimmy Frost, and Sheryl Grier; great-grandchildren: Nikki, Brionna, and Jaime Glass, Kaiden and Devryn Roberts, Caitlyn and Cameron Briggs, Heidi Millemon, Israel Williams, Brittney and Derek Frost, Terry and Tabby Grier, and Jesika White; brothers: Gary Perkins, Platte City, MO , Jimmy Perkins, Gradois Mills, MO, Alfred Perkins of Kansas City, MO, and Tommy Perkins, Archie, MO; sister Margaret Longpine, Coffeyville; sister- and brother-in-laws; nieces; nephews; cousins; friends; and his church family.