Obituary of Russell H. Roberts

Russell H. Roberts passed away on September 28, at 84, after a brief illness. He will be greatly missed by family and friends. Russ was born on July 12, 1928, in San Francisco. He graduated from Washington High School and the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in business. After a short stint with General Motors, where he knew success would send him to Michigan, he moved to Santa Barbara and established his CPA practice. He loved his work, and although he "retired" at 65, continued to serve several clients for the rest of his life. In 1962, Russ married Nancy Scarfe and they had two children. They enjoyed sailing, playing tennis and golf, and trips to the High Sierra. In 1996, after Nancy passed away, he married Winifred (Winkie) Lennihan. Russ served on many local nonprofit boards as well as the Montecito Water District. He was a proud staff commodore at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club, and cherished his friends there and at the Cosmo Club. He travelled widely, and learned to love fly fishing at Fall River with Winkie. Russ is survived by Winkie, his daughter Adelaide and son Skip, and Winkie's children Martha, Dave and Rob. They, along with his grandchildren, Charlie, Ashley, Zoe and Anastasia, will miss his warmth, generosity and good cheer. Contributions in memory of Russ would be welcome at the Santa Barbara Humane Society or Planned Parenthood of Santa Barbara. A celebration of his life is being planned for family and friends.