01/19/2026
Van S. “Bobby” Roberts III died peacefully at his home on January 10, 2026, in Olathe, Kansas. Alice (Rettele) Roberts, his wife of 59 years, sat at his bedside as he passed. He was 83.
Van Roberts was born September 11, 1942, in Leavenworth, Kansas, and graduated from Leavenworth High School in 1960.
From 1960 to 1963, he served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician, third class (ETR3, E-4), aboard the USS Brister and the USS Koiner, both stationed in Guam. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, he returned to Leavenworth and
served as a firefighter with the Leavenworth Fire Department from 1964 to 1966.
On November 19, 1966, Van Roberts married Alice Rettele at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Lansing, Kansas, the same church where his Funeral Mass will be held.
Van and Alice, along with their children, lived in Lawrence, Kansas, from 1977 to 2005 and were active members of Corpus Christi Catholic Church.
He worked for the Xerox Corp. as a technical representative, servicing copy machines at offices and businesses throughout Lawrence, Topeka, and Leavenworth. One day he
might be working at the State Capitol; the next, at the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary—wherever Xerox had a copy machine.
Longtime season ticket holders, the Allen Fieldhouse office staff would occasionally send someone up to their seats to ask for his help with a last-minute, game-time repair. He was always happy to do it—anything for the Jayhawks.
He shunned the spotlight and went out of his way to avoid drawing attention. Nevertheless, his bright smile and kind, friendly, unassuming manner earned him a “celebrity” status of sorts among office staffs wherever he worked. He retired in 1998.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he coached Little League and Legion baseball at DCABA and Holcom Sports Complex. He was respected by his fellow coaches, his players, and their parents.
Van, Alice, and their children made numerous lifelong friends during their years in Lawrence and always considered it home. The Roberts are Jayhawks, and they are Jayhawkers.
In 2005, after both had retired, they left Lawrence to live at the Lake of the Ozarks, where they enjoyed hosting family and friends. In 2015, they moved to Sun City West, Arizona, trading the lake, boats, and wave runners for the desert, the golf course, and
Royals spring training. They returned to Kansas in May 2025.
Along with his wife, Alice, he is survived by four children, Kendra Jones (Greg) of Lawrence, Kansas; Scott Roberts of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, whose wife, Debby, preceded him in death; Matthew Roberts (Shelley) of Paola, Kansas; and Brian Roberts
(Andrea) of Paradise Valley, Arizona; six grandchildren, Katie Hoyt (Dustin), Sabrina Wilson (Tucker), Harriet Roberts, Lucie Roberts, Elizabeth Roberts, and Ava Roberts; and four great-grandchildren, Robert “Bobby” Hoyt, Emma Hoyt, Gabriel Wilson, and
Ezekiel Wilson.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Van S. “Buddy” Roberts Jr. and Elsie “Sis” (Arnold) Roberts; two brothers, Michael Roberts and Floyd Roberts; three aunts, Shirley Smith, Betty Sager, and Janet Smith; and an uncle, Eugene Arnold.
The family is forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, and staff of Ascend Hospice, Crestone Senior Living Center, and Barrow Neurological Institute for the excellent care provided to their beloved husband and father.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Van’s memory be made to the Barrow Neurological Institute.
A funeral mass will be Friday, February 6, 2026, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 900 Ida St., Lansing, Kansas. The rosary will be prayed at 9:30 a.m., followed by a visitation at 10 a.m., and the funeral mass at 11 a.m. Inurnment with military honors will take place at 12:30 p.m. at Leavenworth National Cemetery.
