David Taylor Roberts

David T. Roberts, of Copperas Cove, Texas passed away January 21, 2024, at the age of 79. David, fondly known as Dave, was born to Jim and Pat Roberts, on December 26, 1944, in Madison, Wisconsin. He was a world-traveler, scholar, writer, sailor, soldier, musician, and a great choice if you ever needed to “phone a friend” in a trivia contest. He attended the University of Georgia as a philosophy major. In 1965 he enlisted in the Navy and served as an ordnance mechanic for four years. He continued his military career in the US Army - Signal Corps. After completing his duty as Head of ROTC at Missouri Southern State College in Joplin, he retired in 1988 with the rank of Major. After retirement, he earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Central Texas, and went on to work in civil service in Logistics & Statistics at the Headquarters Building on Fort Hood, Texas. He taught at Tarleton-Central Texas in the Computer Information Systems department, and played an instrumental role in the school’s transition to Texas A&M University-Central Texas.

Dave is survived by his wife Linda; son James “Tad” Roberts & daughter-in-law Rhonda Roberts; daughter Shelley Posey & son-in-law James Posey; sister Penny Peck; grandson Nathan Posey; granddaughters Violet Alexander and Anjelica Fraga; great-grandson Max Alexander; nephew Jeff Coe; and nieces Melia Gore, Leara Cooper, Cory Dodge, and Courtney Peck. David was preceded in death by his father James “Jim” Roberts; mother Maxine “Pat” Roberts; and sister Aralie Roberts Martin.

David traveled the world as a military brat, but often spoke of time spent with extended family in the Ozarks of Missouri, which instilled a lifelong passion for folk music and history. David’s sister, Aralie, introduced him to her best friend in college, Linda Coe. Linda fell in love with this handsome sailor, and the couple married on December 27, 1969.

Some of David’s recognitions while serving his country include a Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, an Army Service Ribbon, an Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 2, and Parachutist Badge.

David was a born philosophy major. He debated Newt Gingrich in high school, and regularly debated the news analysts on the television screen, quite loudly. He read countless books–especially his Bible and Bible commentaries–and studied military history, science fiction and linguistics. With his love for computers and SciFi, he developed new worlds and a new language for his novel he aspired to write. In his free time, he enjoyed ham radio and playing folk instruments; especially banjo. He had an endless supply of Dad jokes–not the least of which was his observation that attending your own funeral is non-habit-forming. We are confident David found his place in Heaven, where he may play banjo unceasingly, explore a new world–and have to confront some of the news analysts he yelled at.

Visitation and Funeral Services will be held at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home in Copperas Cove, Texas. Visitation is Tuesday, January 30, from 6-8 p.m. The funeral is Wednesday, January 31, at 11 a.m. Burial with Full Military Honors follows at 2 p.m. at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. All friends and family are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Gideons International [https://www.gideons.org/donate], American Radio Relay League [https://home.arrl.org/action/Donate], or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America [https://alzfdn.org/donate].