Birth: 14 OCT 1897 Michigan
1900 Census: 16 JUN 1900
Place: Odessa Twp, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Living with parents.
1910 Census: 07 MAY 1910
Place: Odessa Twp, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Living with parents.
Education: Graduated from the Lake Odessa High School.
Education: Went to college for two weeks. Possibly Alma Wesleyan College.
WWI Draft Card
Marriage: 05 MAR 1919 Campbell, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Clergyman = Isaac H. Mourer
Occupation: May 1919 to 1942
Note: Pastor of Thornapple Church of the Brethren for 25 years. Roy McRoberts was elected into the ministry and installed December 1919. He was ordained into the eldership in October 1927. Many of the years he served this church without renumeration, which was common in those days. In 1942, Roy resigned as pastor of this church.
1920 Census: Not able to find in Michigan.
Birth of Son: 05 APR 1920
Name: Howard David McRoberts
Birth of Daughter: 05 JAN 1922
Name: Olive Helen McRoberts
Birth of Daughter: 23 FEB 1926
Name: Barbara Jean McRoberts
Birth of Daughter: 14 AUG 1927
Name: Marie Annetta McRoberts
Birth of Son: 17 OCT 1929
Name: Roy Junior “Bud” McRoberts
1930 Census: 23 APR 1930
Place: Campbell Twp, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Wife, Ruth, five children, and Ruth’s uncle David Winey living in household.
1940 Census: 10 APR 1940
Place: Campbell Twp, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Wife, Ruth, five children, and Roy’s father, Alex, are living in household. For some reason, they have Roy Jennings listed as Howard and son, Howard, listed as Howard Jr.
Birth of Son: 03 SEP 1940
Name: Daniel Joseph McRoberts
Occupation: 1946 to 1972
Place: Mesick, Michigan (20 min south of Traverse City)
Note: Pastor of Marilla Church of the Brethren for 26 years.
1979 – 60th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
Death: 13 FEB 1980 Michigan
Note: Died of kidney problems in the Traverse City hospital.
Burial: Lake Odessa Lakeside Cemetery, Ionia Co, Michigan
Obituary: 14 FEB 1980
Place: Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan
Click here to see parents: Alexander McRoberts and Altha Etta Carr
Note: Father (Roy) had an ability to remember. For example, he would say a few days ago I used that wrench, you just go to a certain field, start in at corner and count down so many posts and there you will find it. Both Mother and Father always made a special effort to visit all the family even though they were scattered far and wide. – Howard McRoberts
Dad always used to read to us from the Bible before one of our meals, usually it was before breakfast. And we always had a prayer before every meal. I also remember asking if I could go to a movie on a Sunday night. Dad’s answer was real good advice, he said he thought there were better things to do with one’s time on a Sunday night than go to a movie. Mother made good meals. I enjoyed the homemade bread that she use to fry and season it with sage. And strawberry shortcake was a favorite, because she always made it with biscuits. The folks took us to churches when there was special meetings or Love Feast. I remember then taking us to Battle Creek sometimes. That seemed like a long way with the kind of car we had. I remember that Mother taught young childrens Sunday School class and she was very supportive of Dad in his ministry. – Barbara Jean McRoberts Bergy
Dad used to say, ‘Everybody has some worth, but sometimes its hard to find.’ – Keith Bergy
Mother, in her own quiet way, was always doing things for other people. You always think of the church families inviting the minister and family to dinner but in our case it nearly always was the other way around. Mother was a very good cook and was always trying new recipes. Most any Saturday afternoon would find our dining room table covered with loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls, cakes, pies, etc. One Saturday I remember ‘The Gypsies’ coming around. Mother quick covered the table leaving out a couple of loaves of bread to give to them. If they ask for food and you didn’t give them anything they didn’t like it and it wasn’t a very safe situation. Mother almost always made the Communion Bread for church. Yum! Yum!
Another thing I remember is when Dad had a funeral service, Mother always carried a little bottle of Camphor in her purse in case someone fainted – I think there was a time or two it was needed. Mother always made sure Jan had a birthday party when we were there. That was special too, since her birthday was December 24 at such a busy time. Two families I especially remember Mother ‘taking under her wing’, the Funderbergs when they came to Elmdale and the Willoughbys when they came to Marilla. She and Dad really did alot for both families. Dad was always whistling, when I was real young and I thought he was always happy and didn’t have ‘a care in the world’. Basically he was, but he had a large family and was in ‘the free Ministry’ so I’m sure it wasn’t always easy, he just made it look that way.
For one or two years I remember Dad had trouble with his leg and back. He would drive the car to the barn, do chores, drive to the field, someone would bring the horses out to him, where he would plow, drag, or whatever needed to be done. From a distance you could still hear him whistling even though he was in alot of pain. Sometimes when he was going to Lake Odessa for something, Bud and I would hide in the car and after we were on the way we would snicker. He never made us get out – going to town was ‘a big deal’ then. When the snow was so deep we couldn’t walk, Dad would take us to school (Darby) with the horses and wagon. I remember we always went to every Church of the Brethren Communion within 30 miles. It always seemed like a long drive home and us kids would get so tired. I feel very privileged to have been raised in a home with such caring, Christian parents. – Marie McRoberts Bergy
Grandpa had quite a dry sense of humor which I enjoyed. One time they went to church with us and I recognized the tie he was wearing as one we had given him, probably for Christmas. After church I commented about the tie and Grandpa’s response was that ‘he always knew that the only reason people went to church was to see what the other people were wearing!’ At a meal at our house, Grandpa was eating some homemade rolls and I commented that I had made them when some friends were there recently and one of our friends ‘must have eaten a dozen!’ to which Grandpa soberly answered, ‘I didn’t know you were counting!’ We remember cookies and pies for breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa’s and the last time we visited Grandma when she was 83 years old, we had EVERY kind of pie imaginable – raspberry, cherry, rhubarb, gooseberry, and on. The BEST pies ever and we came home with the extra pounds to prove it. One of the most important memories of Grandma and Grandpa would be that they raised a large family by God’s standards which in turn left a Christian legacy that affects us all, and for that we are thankful. – David and Joyce McRoberts
If I close my eyes I can picture in my mind (as if it were yesterday) Grandpa and Grandma. I picture the house that they lived in when I was growing up. In these pictures I see weekend trips to visit them, weeks in the summer staying with them. I remember Christmas and Thanksgiving get togethers with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. I remember gathering eggs from the chicken coop, and I remember getting into the hot, hot car at the end of the week to take the eggs to the nearby towns to sell. I can still smell the inside of that HOT car!! I remember riding in the fruit truck with Grandpa. He seemed to know everybody and wave at them and they all knew him. I remember my parents and aunts and uncles sitting around the table playing cards. And I think I remember Grandpa sputtering about this!
I picture the piano in the living room and remember wishing I could play it like Uncle Joe did. I can hear the clock ticking and feel the silence of the house at the end of the day… And the best memories of all – Sunday mornings!! The last minute rush to get the bulletin printed, getting ready for church, breakfast and then off to church. Grandpa delivering the sermon and Grandma always in the same pew. It’s only after all these years that I’m beginning to realize all that Grandpa and Grandma gave us. They enriched our lives in so many ways. Yes, they gave us happy memories of time spent together. But more important, is their example of their strong and steady faith in God! – Betty Bergy Caskey
I remember many trips delivering eggs and chickens with grandma. When all of the kids would get out of hand, grandpa asking if we wanted a ‘hot one’. (I don’t remember anyone ever getting one, though.) When everyone would be there for Christmas and it was SO COLD upstairs, fighting over who got the bed with flannel sheets. Baking with grandma (probably much more fun for me than her) and always saving the burned cookies for grandpa. – Jan Deardorff Livingston
When I think of Grandpa and Grandma many things come to mind. Hauling cans with Grandpa, helping grandma deliver chickens and eggs. But there are two things that really stand out in my mind. The first is how Grandma never thought us grandkids grew up enough to do things. I remember many times when I had to just watch Grandma lift something heavy because I was only about 16 and twice as big as she was, but not big enough to do what she could. Grandpa wasn’t like that, though, which brings up my second memory, he always gave us the opportunity to help, even if we didn’t want to. There were 3 of us cousins about the same age: Bob Selis, Terry McRoberts, and myself. About every summer each of us had the opportunity to spend some time with them. During the time I was there each summer Grandpa would always decide to give the chicken coop it’s once a year cleaning. I, of course, had no choice but to help. I could never figure out why it was during the week I was there that the coop got cleaned and never when Bob or Terry were there. Maybe they had other fun jobs all their own! – Kim Deardorff
Grandma was a wonderful cook! I remember spending lots of days in the kitchen with her. I loved to help and watch her bake cookies. We always purposefully burned the last cookie sheet of each batch for Grandpa, who liked them that way. He said it, ‘scoured out your stomach’. Grandpa and I spent alot of time outside and in the garden. He always planted hundreds of gladolia bulbs each spring. One year, I was helping him dig small holes and drop the bulbs in. I was getting tired and out of patience doing this. So I convinced Grandpa to dig four big holes and put the rest of the bulbs in them. None of us was sure it would work. That summer, Grandma and Grandpa had four of the biggest, most beautiful bunches of glads any of us ever had seen. We called them our ‘bouquets’. Glads have always held a special place in my heart because of grandpa. – Dawne Deardorff Vowler
As a grandchild, one of the most exciting things was to become old enough to be able to help gather the eggs and grade them. Many an hour was spent in the basement with grandpa’s guidance. Grandma always loved to bake cookies, but I never remember her baking more than 1 or 2 sheets of cookies at a time. That meant that there was ALWAYS cookie dough in the refrigerator. When we all got together, needless to say, there was a houseful of us! As kids, we were always a LITTLE loud and playing cards in the living room. No matter how much noise, on Saturday evening, Grandpa would sit in his chair in the corner and work on his sermon for the next day. He certainly had a way of blocking us all out! Whenever someone in the family became a little stubborn Grandma always let us know that it came from the McRoberts’ side of the family, not hers! – Rosie McRoberts Pedroza
Ruth Winey
Birth: 02 OCT 1898 Michigan
Note: No middle name.
1900 Census: 01 JUN 1900
Place: Campbell Twp, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Living with parents, Elmer and Anna Winey
1910 Census: 28 APR 1910
Place: Campbell Twp, Ionia Co, Michigan
Note: Living with parents, Elmer and Anna Winey
Death: 14 MAR 1987
Note: Died of old age in Provincial House nursing home, Hastings, Michigan
Burial: Lake Odessa Lakeside Cemetery, Ionia Co, Michigan
Obituary: 16 MAR 1987
Place: Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan
Click here to see parents: Elmer Elsworth Winey and Anna K. Tobias
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