Frances McRoberts

FRANCES McROBERTS ROCHESTER, Minnesota -- Frances McRoberts, 92, of Rochester, formerly of Muscatine, Iowa, passed on December 14, 2011, in Rochester, Minnesota. Graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, December 19, 2011, at Greenwood Cemetery. The Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home is in charge of the local arrangements. Frances was born on December 15, 1918, in Centerville, Iowa, the daughter of James and Lola Olive Coleman Highbarger. She was a graduate of Muscatine High School and the University of Iowa, where later she also received a master's degree in social work. She was awarded membership in Phi Beta Kappa on graduation with her bachelor's degree. She was married in 1942 to Patrick McRoberts and they raised three children, Pamela, Jan and Patrick. Active as den mother, county fair participant, and life coach, she was a superb and patient parent. Frances was a supervisor at the Muscatine County Department of Human Services for more than two decades, where her skills helped many children in need. Always popular and famously agreeable, Frances was selected as Representative Girl of her 1936 high school graduating class and wa...[more]

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member of Delta Delta Delta sorority at the U of I. She kept lifelong friendships from these years active throughout her life. Frances enjoyed fishing, relished bridge and travelled passionately. She visited 40 countries and all states of the United States, including those added after her birth. As a member of the Muscatine Sister City Program, she introduced her grandson Douglas to the world and then journeyed with him to many fascinating destinations, passing on her love of travel. In recent years, with her irrepressible spirit and joy for life, she continued traveling to destinations as varied as Las Vegas, Seattle, and Tokyo. She always watched Desperate Housewives and became an early internet user and then a devoted iPad fan - especially solitaire. She loved a scoop of ice cream, a piece of candy, and healthy portions of butter. She was always immeasurably modest, yet had a sharp wit and a keen sense of humor. Frances is survived by her daughter, Pam Sander of Rochester, Minnesota; two daughters-in-laws, Kathleen Van Hyfte and husband, Jim, and Kim McRoberts of Seattle, Washington; two grandsons, Douglas Krone and John Josinger and wife, Keiko; two step-grandsons, Jeremy and Sterling; a great grandson, Skyler Josinger; a brother, Robert Highbarger and wife, Ginny, of Potomac, Maryland; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; two sons, Michael Jan and Patrick; and a sister, Ruth Elizabeth Bryant.