"Rest In Peace , Tom. My heart will always be with you and your family. Love you. Allyssa"
In loving memory of
Thomas E. Roberts
November 15, 1953 - September 7, 2020
TOWN OF MIDDLETON--Thomas Edward Roberts, age 66, from the Town of Middleton, WI, left this life on September 7, 2020, peacefully at his home, after a long heart struggle, with his wife, sons and beloved dog nearby.
Tom will always be remembered for his love of music and musical innovations. His creativity started at a young age in Richland Center, WI, with model rocketry to repairing anything electronic and a love of old cars. He was compassionate about his hobbies including restoring WWII Radios and HAM radio, weather spotting, HO Trains, models, music, and sharing all of this with his sons. He was a perfectionist in everything he did whether it was a sound check for Dale Savage or Crystal Waters Band or sanding Baltic birch just right for a new speaker design. He started a long electronic career with Audio Clinic in Madison then onto many decades with Madisound Speakers. Tom was known world-wide for his electronic audiophile capabilities. But, most of all, Tom loved his family and his friends; he supported those around him and his "conditional" love was abounding.
Tom was preceded in death by his mother Trudy Gillingham Roberts of Richland Center, WI and father Edmund Roberts; cousin Gale Gillingham of Gillingham, WI; and dear friends James "Woody" Woodworth, Dale "Savage" Kidd and Larry Hitch. He is survived by his loving wife Lisa, sons and daughter-in-law Andrew and Katrin Roberts and Nicholas Roberts; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Joy and Bob Kelly, Pam and Ken Adams; nieces Cybelle (Mike) Jones and Kira (Al Calderon) Roush; nephew Brian (Kira) Ritcher; great-nieces and nephews Mia & Chloe Lewis, Ava Jones, Miranda & Alex & Grace Ritcher, Errol Powell, Lola Calderon Roush; along with a great-great-nephew and a great-great-niece; dear friends Mark Goad, Bob Alaback, Barry Schraufnagel, Heidi Meier, Blake Taylor, and many more.
The family would like to thank Agrace HospiceCare for all the compassionate end of life care. In lieu of services, donations can be made in Tom's name to Agrace HospiceCare, Alzheimer's Association of Dane County or the Democratic party.
Dear Tom, May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. And may you be happy. "73".
Tributes
"Madisound Speaker Components Tom Roberts ~ Madisound Resident Genius November 15, 1953 ? September 7, 2020 Longtime Madisound engineer & speaker guru Tom Roberts passed away earlier this week after a long struggle with heart conditions. He is best known for thousands of custom crossover designs done for DIY speaker projects and commercial speaker companies, his work spanning over four decades. Utilizing the anechoic chamber he helped construct, along with AudioPrecision hardware & LEAP software, Tom was a pioneer in advanced design work. There?s a decent chance the speakers you are listening to right now were designed by him! The depth of knowledge Tom possessed around all things speakers and electronics was astounding. His ability to explain and share this information with those less technically inclined or looking to learn was a true gift. To this day we aren?t sure if he had ever been stumped. Thanks Tom, rest in peace friend. You will be missed. Many of Tom?s designs have been put in our PDF library and are free for you to study and use: http://www.madisound.com/library/xover-design/"
"Tom and Liz became members, then friends and family as they brought with them passion, the excitement of life, the excitement of sharing knowledge and so much more. Although I did not know Tom deeply, he always shared the knowledge and joy of moving it forward... as does Liz. Tom always gave his all, to so many, to so many of community... his vast life experience that he was not shy of knowledge sharing. For this and more, we share miss him... for this and more we thank him for being there at a time in need, for family, friends, and community. Thank you Tom... and thank you Liz, family and friends for letting us share a bit of his great time on this grand globe that we call earth... and we are blessed to have him join those whom watch over us. On Behave of MidWest Severe Storm Tracking/Response Center, MidWest Disaster Assessment Team? D. L. Bernstein; Pres/CEO "