Allen George Roberts was born to the late Allen Percival Roberts and Helen Marcilene (Haas) Roberts on February 8, 1943 in Milwaukee. He grew up in New Berlin and attended UW-Whitewater, where he met his wife, Helen Norsman. In 1967, they were married in Windsor, WI.
Allen taught elementary vocal music for forty-one years, in Racine and Cedarburg, WI. Besides making music his career, he was multi-talented. Allen was a handyman who persisted. If he didn’t know how to do something, he read, asked questions, and tried. His willingness to learn and his persistence helped him build a house on Washington Island, do plumbing, electrical, drywall, fine woodworking, gardening, and car repairs. He built several guitars from scratch, including bending the wood into shape. Allen did intricate stringed instrument repair for music stores and individuals for many years. After retirement, Allen and Helen moved to Wausau in 2006.
At the age of 69, Allen passed away on Thursday, August 16, 2012 at his home with the help of Ministry Home Hospice.
He is survived by his wife, Helen, daughter, Sally (Stephen) Schmidt of Wausau, two granddaughters, Maggie and Tessa, brother Paul (Lana) Roberts of Waukesha, sister, Crystal (Scott) Johnson of Racine and brother-in-law, Cliff Mills of Denver, CO. Allen was preceded in death by his sister, Marsha Mills on June 30, 2012.
A celebration of Allen’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday August 23, 2012 at First Presbyterian Church, Wausau. Rev. Dr. Stephen Wright and Rev. Joy Nelson-Jeffers will officiate. The family will receive friends following the service. You may sign our family guest book at helke.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to: First Presbyterian Church, 406 Grant St., Wausau, WI 54403, Friends of Plum and Pilot Island (FOPPI) P.O. Box 61, Washington Island, WI 54246 or Cedarburg Community Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 654, Cedarburg, WI 53012 ([email protected])