Phyllis Elaine Roberts

Elaine Wagner Todd Roberts, aged 99, died peacefully on May 17, 2019, at the Sanctuary at Bellbrook in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Elaine was born in Osgood, Missouri, on March 18, 1920 to Stanley P. and Verna Elaine Wagner. Her full name was Phyllis Elaine, but she was always called by her middle name. Elaine is survived by her sister, Meredith Willcox, of Kirksville, Missouri. Elaine graduated from Northeast Missouri State Teachers College in Kirksville in 1941, where she met her first husband, R. Mark Todd (deceased), who was as student at the College of Osteopathy. They were married in 1941 and had three children, all of whom also survive her: David Todd (Marie Hess), of Amherst, MA; Ann West of Morris, PA and Stanley Verne Todd (Loree Schuster) of Philadelphia, PA. Her grandchildren are Jason Todd, Sara Todd, Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Hines, Jacob Todd, and Dustin Todd. She also has ten great-grandchildren. In 1969 Elaine married Aubrey Roberts (deceased) and had 4 stepchildren: Aubrey (Robbie), Harry, Star (Susan), and Nancy Roberts. Finally, Elaine had 8 step-grandchildren and 10 step-great-grandchildren. Elaine's college degree was in home economics and she taught for one year in Drexel, Missouri, and served as a dietitian for the hospital she and Mark built in Osceola, Missouri. In 1957 the family moved to Pontiac, Michigan and in 1963 they moved to nearby Rochester. While she was primarily a mother and homemaker, she worked for a time in the fabric department at Mitzelfeld's department store and as a dietitian at Avon Center Hospital. She was a member of the Garden Club and of the Amateur Mendicant Society (Sherlock Holmes). After Aubrey died in 1981, Elaine moved into town on Highland Avenue. People loved to visit her in the home she made just the way she wanted it, with many family heirlooms and photos and the wonderful cross-stitch pieces she created. She volunteered at the Rochester Public library, organizing their historical information about Rochester. She then worked part-time in the children's library for many years, where she was selected as Employee of the month for March 1996. Among a variety of other duties, she maintained and cleaned the puppets. Elaine was an avid reader and had a large collection of books, many of which she ultimately donated to the library, and she was a member of the Friends of the Library. In 2017, Elaine moved to Bellbrook Senior Living, in part because it includes a small but delightful branch of the library. Elaine was also a member of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, which was a very important part of her life. She served on the vestry and was an active member of the Episcopal Church Women. Elaine had many close friends, including neighbors, fellow library staff, and members of St. Philip’s, and they all marveled at the stories she told from her life as well as her remarkable memory for the significant details about the people in her life and their families. She maintained close relationships with members of her extended family in Missouri and elsewhere, and with the Todd and Roberts relatives who lived in the area. She loved nothing more than visiting with her friends and family.

There will be a memorial service at St. Philip's on June 6 at 2 pm with a reception to follow in the Great Hall. Burial will be at the Berry Cemetery near Osgood, Missouri, on July 6. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rochester Neighborhood House in Rochester Hills, Michigan, St. Philips Episcopal Church in Rochester, or a charity of your choice.