Obituary of Flora "Folly" Roberts

Flora Irving Hinds Roberts, 70, “Folly” to her family and friends, was born February 13, 1946, in Houston, Texas, to Irving Allee Hinds and George Putnam Hinds, Jr., and died Saturday, August 13, 2016. Folly was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Elisabeth Leeds Hinds-Brofft. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, James C. Roberts, her children; Nicole Allee Roberts Pope, wife of J. Brandon Pope, and James Putnam Roberts, husband of Michelle Miller Roberts; her grandchildren, James Benjamin Pope, Alexander Putnam Pope, David Theodore Pope, and Ada Allee Roberts. She is also survived by her sister, Georgia Hinds McGlasson, wife of Joel H. McGlasson, II; nephew, Alan Sumner Hinds-Brofft, husband of Rebecca F. Hinds-Brofft; nieces, Kate Coles, wife of Donald Coles, and Kathleen Lucile McGlasson; great-nieces, Elisabeth Hinds-Brofft and Lily James Coles; as well as a number of beloved cousins in the Allee, Hinds, and Scardino families. Folly grew up with her sisters in Pasadena, Texas. She was the salutatorian for Pasadena High School, and she elected to attend Rice University. There, it could be said that Folly collected Jim Roberts, along with a number of fine rock specimens on a geology field trip. The couple married in 1968 and moved to Princeton, NJ, where Folly gave birth to their daughter, Nicole, and Jim began his endless quest to build bookshelves faster than his wife could fill them. After Jim completed his PhD, Folly and Jim moved to Houston, Texas where their son, Putnam, was born. Folly’s Houston home echoed her whimsical style - from the kitchen she papered with labels painstakingly removed from wine bottles to the shelves she crammed with jazz albums and books. Folly’s effect upon her surroundings, however, paled in comparison to her influence upon the people in her life. Whether it was working exhaustively to recreate a long-lost family recipe for a grieving relative, taking the time to teach a friend how to buy a home, or making certain that everyone she knew had a place to go for Thanksgiving dinner, Folly never failed to offer advice and aid to friends or family. Folly shared her love of books and learning with her children, her book club, and her friends. Folly’s talents extended far beyond her love of books and words. She actively volunteered at the Houston Museum of Natural Science for many years and prepared tax returns at H & R Block. Later, she joined Jim in traveling to New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, California, Australia, Canada, The Hague, and most recently to the Caribbean. The family wishes to thank long-time family caregivers Sheila Smith and Victoria Ramirez for their loving support, as well as the caregivers at Belmont Village where Folly resided during the past six months. A memorial service honoring the life of Folly Roberts will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 19, 2016 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1805 West Alabama Street in Houston, Texas, 77098. Donations may be made in Folly’s memory to: The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, Radnor Station, Building 2, Suite 320, 290 King of Prussia Rd, Radnor, PA 19087 or online at www.theaftd.org and please designate your donation for research.