Jerry Wayne Roberts

He was born February 1, 1934, to Ellis R. Roberts and Myrtle Cooper Roberts, on the southwest plains of Oklahoma, in the little town of Granite. Jerry was not a complicated man. He lived his life in simple ways. Just like the stone quarried out of the red mountains in Granite, OK, he was strong, resilient, unmoved and unaffected by most things in life. If he went to an ice cream store that served thirty-one flavors, Jerry would order vanilla. If he needed a new phone, he would ask for one that only dialed six numbers, because that was all the people he needed to talk to.

When he was young, his family moved from Granite to Oklahoma City and he fell in love with a girl who lived nearby, named LaVon. In high school, he would climb up to the second floor level of the school house and gaze in the windows just so he could see her in typing class. When she graduated in 1955 they were married and shortly afterwards Jerry joined the U.S. Navy. He and LaVon were stationed in California where they lived for a few years and where their first child was born.

Many of Jerry’s life-long friends were the parents of players on his son’s little league baseball team and together the parents formed a close-knit group For decades, the group of friends would meet for dinner and play Bridge, which continued long after their children were out of little league, grownup and married. In the 1960’s Jerry took up golfing and through the years some of his best and longest friendships were enjoyed on the golf course.

Jerry spent most of his life working in the surface preparation industry, and in 1997 he and his son founded U.S Shotblast Parts and Service Corp. He always credited the success of his company to having excellent co-workers. He valued honest, hard-working people, who gave good service and did their jobs well. He was a man who called things the way he saw them, no fuss, no frills. LaVon called him a diamond in the rough because he never put on airs and underneath a rugged and unpolished surface lay a good heart.

Jerry faced the challenges of life with a no-nonsense approach, and he was known for his “Jerry-isms”, a collection of his own unique words and phrases, like an old forgotten language, brought back to describe his view of the world.

Jerry was a child of The Great Depression and he didn’t need much, except LaVon. They were together for 64 years until she died just a few months ago. Jerry liked things the simple way, right up to the end. By the grace of God, Jerry went to meet the Lord just the way he wanted to go, in his own home, in his own bed, and attended to by his beloved son, Brad.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Ellis and Myrtle Roberts; his brother Gene Roberts; his wife LaVon Roberts; and his daughter Robin Roberts. He is survived by his brother Bob Roberts; sister Sondra Sue Meehan; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; extended family members; daughter-in-law Ginger; and devoted son, Brad.

We would like to thank the first responders from the city of Warr Acres who assisted Jerry and LaVon on several occasions during the 27 years they lived there. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be addressed to Warr Acres Fire Department, 5930 NW 49th Street, Warr Acres, OK 73122. During the pandemic, we will not be holding a traditional funeral service; however, for those wishing to pay final respects a visitation will be held Friday, December 18th, from 9:00am - 3:00pm, at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 13313 N. Kelly Avenue, OKC, OK 73131. (www.memorailparkokc.com)