Roberta Ann Powers, age 52, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle against cancer on the morning of June 20, 2019 surrounded by her family.
Roberta was born on July 21, 1966 to parents Jack Eugene and Rossie Kathleen Wilson in Miami, Florida. She was one of seven children. From the start, Roberta was full of energy, love, laughter, optimism and had a big heart. No matter the sport, task or challenge, she would meet it head on and quietly dominate. She was humble; she didn't need to be the center of attention, yet she always stood out because of her spirit. Roberta had many friends because she was a friend to all. She showed genuine care for others—both human and furry. Roberta had the most incredible ability to know what to say to help you through hard and trying times and was always ready to listen and support any of her family and friends. Her smile let her light shine and her laughter brought joy to us.
She was the sweetest, most patient mother and loved her children fiercely. On June 19, 1988, she gave birth to her eldest son Christopher (31)—who was adopted by a loving family. A few years later, she married and then brought Alexis (27), Steven (25) and Brooke (24) into this world. In 2015, Chris was able to discover his birth mother's name and location—which led to a beautiful and long-awaited reunion. Roberta was able to enjoy the past four years with all four of her children by her side.
Roberta married her sweetheart, Gary Powers, on June 3, 2005 and with love brought together their two families and established a home in Draper, Utah. They most recently celebrated 14 years of marriage.
One of her absolute favorite roles developed in the last four years was being a grandma. She adored each one of her grandchildren and they were just as obsessed with her in return.
From her relationship with Gary, Roberta was able to develop a love and natural ability for cycling. During their marriage, they often had the pleasure of traveling around the world with close friends to ride bikes in some of the most beautiful countries. Those who met Roberta during this time remember her as a speedy and strong rider that was a kind and caring friend to everyone she met.
She was also a mother to a handful of furry, four-legged creatures that loved and adored her. Scooter, Simon and Leo—our family's three dogs—will miss her dearly. They were her constant shadows at home and were even able to make it into the hospital for special visits in the recent years. All three were close by her side during her passing at home. We know she is having the sweetest of reunions with our family cat, Obi, and dog, Teddy, who passed away just a couple of years earlier.
Roberta was a light in everyone's life. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend. Our hearts are broken that she's no longer here with us physically, but we can each find comfort in knowing her spirit will be with every one of us moving forward.
Roberta is survived by her husband Gary, children Chris, Alexis, Steven and Brooke, siblings Brenda, Cynthia, Sherri and Jack, and grandchildren Maya, Jaxton, Navy and Aria. Roberta was preceded in death by her parents Jack Eugene and Rossie Kathleen Wilson and two of her older brothers, Alan Wilson and Doug Wilson.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, June 27, 2019 at the South Mountain 3rd Ward, 272 East Traverse Point Drive, Draper, UT. A visitation will be held on Wednesday evening from 6-8 pm at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 South), Sandy, UT and Thursday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to the services at the church.
