Obituary: Roberts

Jerry E. Roberts, 78, of Fairbury, passed away at 8:56 pm on Friday, May 20th, 2025 at ARC of El Paso.

Jerry was born on June 14th, 1946 in Taylorville, IL, the son of Gerald and Dorothy (Hoffman) Roberts. He married Ida Ruth Stout on June 20th, 1970 at the First Baptist Church in Taylorville. She survives in Fairbury.

Jerry is survived by: his wife; daughter Karen (Craig) Oest, of Fairbury; and granddaughter Emma Oest, of Chicago.

Preceding Jerry in death are his parents and two brothers: Richard (Dorothy) Roberts and Charles (Carole) Roberts.

Jerry was a graduate of Taylorville High School. He served in the United States Navy for four years. During his time of service he spent two and a half years aboard the USS Little Rock, which was the flagship of the 6th Fleet. When setting out from his home port of Gaeta, Italy, his favorite port of calls were in Barcelona and Seville, Spain. Jerry then worked as a shift foreman at the Powerton Generating Station. Upon retirement, he drove a semi-truck for 16 years.

Jerry was an avid sports fan, but his favorite was always baseball. He was a fan of dirt track racing and enjoyed going to Knoxville, Iowa to see the Outlaw Sprint cars race with his wife and daughter. He loved to eat – he never met a cookie he didn’t like. He cherished his time spent with his family and he enjoyed going for morning coffee with his friends.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, June 5th, 2025, at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Fairbury. Pastor JD Buchenau will officiate. Masonic rites will be performed. Burial will follow in Chenoa Township Cemetery with full military rites.

Visitation will be held prior to the funeral from 10:00 – 11:00 am at the memorial home.

Memorial donations can be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital of St. Louis, American Lung Association, or South East Livingston County Ambulance Service (SELCAS).

Online condolences may be left at www.duffypilsmemorialhome.com