Blanche Roberts passed from this life on December 3, 2019. She was born in 1927 in Louisiana to Guy and Blanche and had four brothers and two sisters. Her Father was a railroad engineer and her Mother rented boarding rooms in their family home and apartments that her Father built on their property which were used to house soldiers during WW2. The Eisenhowers even once stayed in the main house. Blanche helped her Mother collect the rent checks. She learned how to be an excellent business person from both of her parents.
Blanche was very smart and graduated high school early at age 16. While in high school, she played saxophone in the marching band and hosted dance parties at her home as she loved to dance as did her older sister Faye. After high school, Blanche attended Northwestern University in Natchitoches, La for three years where she studied business and joined a sorority. She transferred to SMU in Dallas for a year and won the jitterbug contest with the head cheerleader. She later studied Physical Education at the University of Houston.
In 1948 at the age of 19, Blanche moved to Houston to begin her lifelong career as a reservationist and ticket agent for the airlines. She began her career with Braniff Airlines at their ticket counter in the Rice Hotel in downtown Houston. She later worked at their ticket counters at the Shamrock Hotel and downtown ticket office on Main Street, as well as their reservations office.
Blanche was a very blessed woman. She met her soulmate Bill Roberts when she was 21 years old and married him five months later on New Year's Day 1949. Bill worked as a radio announcer at a radio station across the street from the Rice Hotel where Blanche worked at the Braniff ticket counter. He finally summoned the courage to meet Blanche after their mutual friend suggested they meet since they were both from Louisiana and grew up 45 minutes from each other. They had the same background of being from a large, loving, and gregarious family who were very religious/spiritual and very active in their churches.
In addition to being a very dedicated and loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, and later grandmother, as well as her own lifelong career with the airlines, Blanche had the wonderful privilege of being a minister's wife. This was one of the most important roles of her life. Blanche grew up in the Presbyterian church attending three or more Christian denominations every week. She loved the church as did her husband Bill who was the son of a Methodist minister. Her husband had a calling to the ministry and Blanche always felt that same calling as a minister's wife. It was a role she excelled at and cherished when being by her husband's side throughout his and their ministry.
A few years after their marriage, they moved from Houston to Dallas so Bill could attend seminary at SMU Perkins School of Theology where he received his Master's of Divinity. Blanche transferred to Braniff's ticket office in Dallas. Bill had previously received his Bachelor's degrees in Broadcasting and Education from U of H after three years at Centenary College in Shreveport, La.
Upon graduation, Bill served as minister to various Methodist churches in the Texas Conference and mostly in the greater Houston area. Bill loved being a minister and Blanche loved being a minister's wife, including hosting church dinners as she was an excellent cook. They were an amazing and very dedicated team. Bill and Blanche started their family after Bill began his ministry. They had two sons, William (Bill/y) Roberts, III, David Roberts, and a daughter, Cheryl Roberts. They were also very proud grandparents to William Jacob (Jake) Hanson Roberts.
Blanche was with Braniff Airlines until their unfortunate bankruptcy in 1982. She then went to work for Delta Airlines as a reservationist from 1982 to 1992 when she retired. After retirement, Blanche continued to work part time for Delta Airlines for a few years as she absolutely loved her airline career. As an airline employee, Blanche loved the benefits of discounted tickets and traveling first with her Mother and husband to South America and later with her family around the world. She was fortunate to travel with her family all over the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, visiting 5 or more times. She enjoyed traveling to Canada and Mexico and thoroughly enjoyed her month long travels every summer in the 1960s and 1970s with her family all over Europe and the Middle East, including Israel and Lebanon. Blanche and her family immensely treasured these travels together as they learned history while experiencing many cultures and cuisines. Her husband Bill would share travel stories in his sermons and use his amateur photography skills to share pictures with his congregations.
Blanche is preceded in death by Bill Roberts, her loving husband of 65 years, her parents Guy and Blanche, six siblings, and 2 year old son David Guy. Blanche is survived by her son William (Bill/y) Roberts, III, and his wife Laurie Hanson Roberts, daughter Cheryl Roberts and her beau Karl Stoecklein, grandson William Jacob (Jake) Hanson Roberts, and grand-dogter Mini Marie. In addition, Blanche is survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as many loving friends.
Blanche will be lovingly remembered as a very loving and devoted wife, and minister's wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, devoted employee and career woman, and friend to all who will forever live in our hearts and memories.
The Roberts Family would like to thank Beehive Homes of Frisco and Elysian Hospice for their loving and dedicated care of our sweet Mom. We are extremely blessed and grateful for your excellent care of our Mom. Thank you David, Jennifer, Gwen, and the numerous caregivers for all your kind and generous help with our Mom. Mom and our family so much appreciate everything!
Visitation is Monday, December 9 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston TX 77079.
An indoor chapel memorial and graveside service will be held Tuesday, December 10 at 10:00 a.m. at Memorial Oaks Cemetery with Rev. Wick Stuckey officiating.
A Celebration of Life service will be held Sunday, December 22 at 3:00 p.m. at Grace Avenue United Methodist Church, 3521 Main St., Frisco, TX 75034.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chapelwood Foundation in Houston, TX or Grace Avenue United Methodist Church in Frisco, TX.
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