Edward Roberts

Edward T. Roberts passed away peacefully on July 31, 2015 at home in Peoria, Arizona with his wife and son beside him. Ed was born in New York City on June 3, 1926, to Richard and Veronica Roberts. He graduated Hempstead High School in 1944 and enlisted in the US Army Air Corps Cadet Program. His service was short lived when the war ended in 1945. Ed attended Hofstra College and Columbia University and eventually took a job in New York City with a Newspaper Representative Firm, Reynolds, Fitzgerald. In 1948 his firm sent him to Syracuse., N.Y. to open a branch office. In 1951 he married his High School sweetheart, Dorothy Anne Ryan and settled down in Syracuse. In 1953 their first and only child, Edward Dale, was born. The territory Ed covered extended from Albany to Buffalo and kept him moving. He joined a number of organization allied to his duties. The Grocery Manufacturers Assn. and the Advertising and Sales Club, first as Board member and eventually as President. In 1958 Ed was offered and accepted a job with the Toledo Blade as Assistant General Advertising Manager, and became General Advertising Manager in 1963. He was active in the Advertising Club of Toledo, the American Marketing Assn. and a number of civic groups. Ed loved to be involved. He was active in the Big Brother Program. He saw to the development of four “little brothers” over a period of a thirteen years, and was instrumental in establishing a fund raising golf outing program that raised over $50,000 for Big Brothers. In 1971, Ed was named Marketing Director of the Blade which bought him to a new phase of the Newspaper Business. He was responsible for the production of the many of the Public Service programs the Blade ran, including the Blade Food Fairs, the Ten K Run, the Newspaper in the Classroom and many others. He had a long association with the Advertising Club of Toledo, and as a member of the Board of Governors, Ed was Honored in 1975 with the American Advertising Federation's Silver Medal Award. Ed and Dotty were active in the community. They were members of the Toledo Zoo. The Toledo Museum of Art and St. John's High School while their son attended. Ed was a Eucharistic Minister at St. Patrick's of Heather Downs Church. They both loved golf and were long time members of Heather Downs Country Club. Soon after retirement in 1989 Ed realized he couldn't sit and do nothing. He heard about a program called "Mom's House" and decided to get involved. What was needed in Toledo was a day care center for babies of poor young unwed mothers, girls who wanted to complete their education but their circumstances wouldn't permit it. Ed formed a committee and such an operation happened. It took five years but in 1995, Mom's House became a reality. Ed was elected first President of the Board and was involved until 2003, when they moved to Arizona, to be near their son and his family. Ed and Dotty loved to travel and saw a great deal of this country, as well as Ireland, England, a little of France and Portugal. Ed retired in 1989 but he and Dotty continued their love for golf and travel. Within the last few years they were able to take three cruises, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Alaska. His memory will be cherished by his loving wife of 64 years, and son Ed, and his wife, Peggy, of Scottsdale, Arizona, three grandchildren, Colleen Nelson (Brad), Maureen Isacksen (Brett) and Daniel Roberts (Julie), and of course his great grandchildren, Owen Patrick Nelson, Ryan Grace Nelson, and Ellie Celeste Roberts who brought great joy. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015 at Menke Funeral & Cremation Center. Funeral Services will be on Friday, Aug.7, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 9728 Palmeras Lane, Sun City, AZ 85373. Interment will be at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, AZ. The family would appreciate any contributions in his name to Mom’s House, 2505 Franklin Ave., Toledo, OH 43610.