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Community Corner

Reba Roberts: Friends Remember Rohnert Park's First Lady

After a lifetime of putting her talents for public relations toward promoting Rohnert Park, Reba Roberts is going to be missed, say friends.

Reba Roberts, 77, one of the first generation of Rohnert Park city influencers, passed away over the weekend. She had been suffering from diabetes.

"The community is sure going to miss Reba," said Art Hollingsworth, who served on the City Council with her husband Art Roberts. "She had a certain sort of charisma that nobody else had."

"It's extremely sad," said long-time friend Barbara Uhl. "I'm sure everybody says the same thing...  I'll miss her terribly."

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. “She essentially wrote it herself, about 10 years ago when she first started having health problems,” said her daughter Lisa J. Roberts. A series of recent physical ailments hit Reba hard, but her daughter emphasized,  “She fought to the very end.”

Art and Reba Roberts came to Rohnert Park in 1962, the same year the city was incorporated, to open the Rohnert Park Pharmacy. Art Roberts was elected repeatedly to the city council, and was mayor for five years.

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Art died in 1986 while he was serving as mayor. is named in his memory.

After that period, Reba helped do public relations for the city under mayor Pete Callinan and city manager Joe Netter.

"Everybody knew Reba," said Callinan. "She was the 'first lady,' and involved in many community activities."

"It's a great loss to the city," said Netter. "She's done a lot over the years."

Roberts helped run the Miss Sonoma County Pageant for several years, and as recently as served as consultant. She did advertising counseling as an independent businesswoman as “It’s Reba” out of her home on Fairway Dr.

The Roberts raised their two children in Rohnert Park; and later divorced. Their children, Lisa J. Roberts and Jeffrey Roberts, live in Southern California.

The retired businesswoman was one of the victims of Michael Rosen’s pyramid scheme, which was resolved in bankruptcy court in July 2009. She lost over $90,000 on the bogus investments.

Recently Pete Callinan and Reba Roberts worked together on a video, "The Friendly City," for the Community Media Center of the North Bay.  with their reminiscence of the early days of Rohnert Park. It’s online at http://northbay.mirocommunity.org/video/52/the-friendly-city

"She was a very popular lady," said Callinan.

"We still played cards every week until about a month ago," said Uhl. "She wasn't a bridge player, and I was, so we played hand-and foot,"  a game related to Canasta.

"We'd play cards and talk and have dinner. I'll miss her terribly."

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