Joseph Stephen Roberts, age 74, of Berlin, MA passed away peacefully January 14, 2015 at The Highlands nursing home in Fitchburg, MA due to complications following treatment for pneumonia.
He was born in Pawtucket, RI, on July 15, 1940 to the late Lester and Ethel (Warburton) Roberts. He obtained a Bachelors’s degree from University of Rhode Island and a Master’s degree from the University of Connecticut. He was a structural mechanical engineer, working in the nuclear energy industry with Boston Edison. He loved skiing, sailing, and spending time at the beach. He was a fan of the Patriots and Red Sox.
He is survived by his two brothers, David and wife Sandra (Nelson) Roberts of Chelmsford, MA and Bruce Roberts of Florida. He was married to Patricia Koscinski Roberts, leaving two children; Susan Roberts and Jeffrey and (wife) Heidi (Finn) Roberts; two grandchildren, Haley and Bria Roberts.
A mass will be held in his memory at 10 AM on January 22, 2015 at St. Bernadette Parish, 266 Main Street in Northborough, MA 01532.
http://www.stb-parish.org/
A gathering will follow mass at 11:30 AM at Guiseppe's Grill, 35 Solomon Pond Rd, Northborough, MA 01532
http://www.guiseppes-grille.com/
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of "J. Stephen Roberts" to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via the JimmyFund gift form.
I was sad to hear of Steve’s passing. I always knew him as “Steve”. We met over 40 years ago when he started working at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station for Boston Edison at the Prudential.
Steve was an outstanding engineer. He could match wits with anyone.
Steve always talked and bragged about his wife and children. He was very proud of their accomplishments.
I was fortunate to have known him and to work with him. There were times when he would challenge your results. You might not like it but you always knew where you stood. He was demanding but considerate. Steve was a great mentor to young engineers.
There are many good memories that I have of meetings and technical discussions that we were involved with.
After Steve retired and moved to the Berlin area we had lunch at the Railroad Restaurant in Bolton (Berlin?). It was a great place where two “old” engineers could sit and argue for hours about various engineering topics. He usually always won!!
He will be missed. He was a well respected person and engineer. I wish I could be there at his Memorial Service on Thursday to honor him but due to personal reasons I cannot attend.
Please accept my condolences.
Jim Flaherty
Steve and I were able to spend quite a lot of time together, as I lived with him during a period of time when we were transitioning. Often times, it was just he and I in the house, and I grew to really enjoy his company. He had a lot of stories (and yes often the same favorites and most of the time I was surprised he was still alive). There were times where we would watch the game and just hang out. I miss that time.
Probably the most unlikely bond created, was the one between a new baby and her grampy. Connected by cancer, both Haley and Steve were going through a lot around the same time. Pat and Steve would watch Haley quite often when I was having my regular OB appointments, as I was pregnant with Bria. I believe Haley gave him a lot of strength watching her grow with all of the challenges she faced. He loved each of them so much.
