Marilyn A. Roberts' Obituary
Marilyn Ann Roberts, age 72, passed away on Sunday October 12, 2025, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
She was born on September 25,1953 in Oshkosh to George & Marcella Wilber. Marilyn graduated from Lourdes Academy in 1971 and attended UW-Oshkosh for 2 years after that. Her career was spent at Foremost Foods, Kimberly Clark, and Amcor mainly in Quality Control. The biggest highlight of Marilyn’s career was being one of the lead scent analysts in developing Kleenex’s menthol encapsulation of their Cold Care lineup. On October 8, 1982, Marilyn married the love of her life Mike Roberts. They went on to have 2 children, Kelly & Christopher.
She enjoyed playing slow pitch softball where she won a city league championship for Robbie’s bar in 1983. She enjoyed golfing, bowling, and downhill skiing. Once having children of her own, her life was dedicated to Kelly & Chris. Their hobbies such as baseball, basketball, and softball had Marilyn traveling the continental US. You didn’t have to listen too far to find Marilyn cheering her children on from the stands, sometimes in their own behest especially with a cowbell in her hands. As her kids grew, Marilyn and Mike began discovering new hobbies such as snowmobiling and side-by-side riding. While a self-proclaimed introvert, Marilyn’s warm heart and infectious laugh drew people in.
Every person Marilyn encountered was treated with kindness. She had the ability to make every person feel like they could be seen and heard. She became everyone’s extra “mom” and then “grandma”. One of the greatest roles Marilyn ever played was “Nama”, when her grandson Shaw was born. From spending weeks in the NICU at UW -Madison and Ronald McDonald house to watching Shaw daily, the bond that was formed was unbreakable. We’d joke that Marilyn was Shaw’s emotional support human, but Shaw was also that for Marilyn. Her “little sunshine boy” kept her dreaming of the possibilities of what they would experience next. From waterslides to climbing different playground equipment to vacationing in the Caribbean, Marilyn was there for it all.
Marilyn’s survived by her husband Mike, daughter Kelly, son Christopher, grandson Shaw, brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents George and Marcella Wilber, niece Michelle Hobolich, and in-laws Harland and Nancy Roberts.
Marilyn’s Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday October 26, 205 at Jorgies in Berlin, WI. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison in Marilyn’s name.
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