John Clay Roberts

LEXINGTON - A funeral service to celebrate the life of John Clay Roberts will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, December 2, 2016 at Providence Lutheran Church, 840 Old Chapin Road, with burial to follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the church. Memorials may be made to Providence Lutheran Church Cemetery Fund, or to a charity of one’s choice.

Living to be 92, Mr. Roberts touched many lives with his humor and a love of storytelling. He married the love of his life, Carolyn Shealy, in 1946 and was devoted to her care until her death in 2011. His life served as a great example to his two daughters, Sharon Shealy (Richard), and Debby Park (David). He was loved by his grandchildren, Emily Libke and Clay Park, and delighted in his two great granddaughters, Abbie and Ella Libke. He lost his first grandchild, Sidney Riggs, IV in March 2000. The son of Wilbur C. Roberts and Ethel Derrick Roberts, he was also predeceased by his brother, Homer, and sister, Ellen.

A graduate of Lexington High School, Mr. Roberts served during World War II as a radio operator in the Army Air Corps in the Aleutian Islands. He was an engineer for WCOS radio and helped launch WCOS-TV, the state’s first television station in 1953. An initial employee of the General Electric Company in Irmo, he built capacitors for the Apollo Space Program. He felt pride with every space launch.

During his retirement, he enjoyed fishing on Lake Murray, waterskiing, and boating with his grandchildren. He and his wife Carolyn traveled extensively in their RV, visiting almost every National Park. They worked for two summers in Yellowstone National Park. Later he and his daughters and sons-in-law enjoyed the Panama Canal, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, the Greek Isles, and Rome together.

Devoted to his church, family, and friends, he will be remembered with love for his humor and caring.

Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.