Darryl Gene Roberts

Darryl Gene Roberts, 81, of Jonesboro, passed from this life early Tuesday morning, August 4, 2020, at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born November 18, 1938, to the late Eulan N. Roberts and Olevia E. Roberts of Strawberry, Arkansas.

After graduating from Arkansas State University with both bachelor's and master's degrees in education, Darryl and his wife, Judy J. (Johnston) lived in San Francisco, California, for a short time before moving to Caruthersville, Missouri. There they raised their two children, Libby (Roberts) Lancaster and Bryan P. Roberts while Darryl taught Biology at Caruthersville High School and served as Science Supervisor of  the Caruthersville School District. Darryl was awarded the Arkansas Power and Light Company Outstanding Teacher of the Year award in 1988 and the Caruthersville Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year award in 1993. He retired after 30 years of teaching and moved with his wife to Jonesboro.

In Jonesboro, Darryl was a member of the Optimist Club where he served as treasurer for many years and participated in the annual Christmas tree fundraiser and children's fishing derby. He was a member of Nettleton Baptist Church where he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher and was a past choir member for many years. Darryl frequently visited Craighead Nursing Home to minister and interact  with the residents with Bible reading and conversation groups. He was recognized by KAIT8 Media with an "Acts of Kindness" award in 2017.

Darryl enjoyed gardening and raising house plants and sharing the bounty with friends. He loved to make wire art, fine woodworking and whittling. He often spent entire mornings or afternoons making his various rounds to check in on shut ins and those who needed assistance. In addition to his parents, Darryl was preceded in death by his brother, Paul Roberts.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Judy J. (Johnston) Roberts of the home, married June 9, 1963;

1 daughter and son-in-law: Libby and Lynn Lancaster of Clarksville, Tennessee;

1 son and daughter-in-law: Bryan and Selena Roberts of Romeoville, Illinois;

1 sister-in-law, Carolyn Roberts of Bakersfield, California;

5 grandchildren: Christopher Lancaster, Justin Roberts, Brianna Roberts, Lillian Roberts and Robert Roberts; and

several nieces and nephews who all loved him dearly.

Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday at Emerson Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Friday at Nettleton Baptist Church with Rev. Brady Canwright officiating. Burial will follow in Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery. Active pallbearers include Chuck Bari, Ben Elam, Scott Barnes, Jon Hampton, Jimmy Wilson, Mark Brand, Shane Halliburton and Chris Halliburton.

For lasting memorials the family asks that consideration be given to Heifer International, 1 World Ave., Little Rock, AR 72202; Nettleton Baptist Church Building Fund, PO Box 2415, Jonesboro, AR 72402; or St. Jude's Childrens Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105