Norma R Roberts

Norma May Raymond Roberts, of Scarsdale, NY, died of heart trouble at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York on January 31. With two brothers 11 and 15 years older, she was born on May 26, 1919, the beloved only daughter of Bernard Raymond and Mary Charness Raymond. Norma grew up in Mt. Vernon, NY where she accelerated through the public schools before attending Barnard College. She graduated with a degree in music in 1939, earning a third of her tuition--$200—by singing in the Columbia University Choir. She worked in public relations for Edward Bernays, and in classical music concert promotion for the Mutual Broadcasting Company. In 1944 she married Alvin V. Roberts, who had been courting her for a decade, and continued to work until the first of their four children was born. When her last child finished high school, Norma began a 30-plus year-career as a real estate agent for Steinkamp and Britton, and later for Merritt Associates in Scarsdale. She retired at age 88. Norma was also active in and committed to a number of civic organizations in Scarsdale, including Friends of the Parks, the Overhill Association, and the Village Club. She fought hard and successfully to preserve open space in the village in the face of strong opposition from developers. She was proceeded in death by her husband Alvin, a polymer chemist who co-founded Ross & Roberts, a plastics manufacturing company. She will be powerfully missed by her four children: Thomas “Tom” Roberts and his wife Mary Wolfe, who live in Pleasantville, NY; Gordon Roberts, who lives in Ventura, CA; Amy Roberts and her partner John Van de Water, who live in the Virgin Islands; and Benson “Buzz” Roberts and his wife Cathy Ball who live in Kensington, MD. Norma also leaves four grandchildren: Douglas Roberts-Wolfe and his wife Christine Tennant, of Charleston, South Carolina; Rebecca “Becky” Roberts-Wolfe and her husband Lehbib Abdurrahman, of Ribera, NM; Abigail “Abby” Roberts, of NYC; and Daniel “Danny” Roberts, of Kensington, MD. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, February 3, at 1:00 at Ballard Durand Funeral Services at 2 Maple Avenue in White Plains, NY. Burial will follow at Sharon Gardens in Valhalla. The family will be receiving visitors at Norma's home from 5-9 pm that evening. In the last year of her life, Norma was greatly assisted by her caretakers Sokhna Kane, Lisa Johnson, and Catalina Manzana.

The family will be sitting Shiva at 50 Popham Road #4A, Scarsdale, NY, 10583 on Wednesday February 3rd from 5:00-9:00pm.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in Norma's memory to Barnard College.