Obituary of Margaret Roberts

Margaret L Roberts of Waukesha passed away peacefully on December 18, 2019 at the age of 102. Born January 23, 1917 in Edmore, North Dakota, Margaret was a talented seamstress, gardener and cook; she grew her own fruits and vegetables and made 15 varieties of pickles, canned her own tomato sauce and juice, and created wonderful preserves. Her applesauce was one of a kind. Margaret also was a fantastic baker, making over 20 varieties of cookies each December to share with friends and neighbors.

Margaret and her late husband Rowland taught ballroom dancing throughout Wisconsin. They also owned and operated a 16-acre apple orchard, where they raised and rescued numerous horses, including a Welsh Pony. She was a true animal lover, keeping beloved toy poodles in the house and many cats at the farm. As a child, it was her job to tame the wild kittens so they would be good mousers on the farm.

Margaret was a breast cancer survivor. She was also a member of First United Methodist Church in Waukesha. Margaret loved driving around Waukesha in her gold Opal GT.

Margaret is survived by her daughter Linda of Madison and her son Brian (Bonnie) of California.  She had a special relationship with her grandson Rob Smithson of Madison and grandsons Bradley and Kendall (Elaine Tanaka) of California. Margaret also has two great-grandchildren, Ariana and Brandon. Numerous nieces, nephews, neighbors, and friends will miss her. She will be fondly remembered. Her cat Tina is going to miss her dearly.  Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, Rowland, her four brothers, Alfred, Dave, Marion, James, and her sister Martha.

The visitation for Margaret will be held on Saturday January 11, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. until the start of services at 3:00p.m. at Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, 237 N Moreland Blvd, Waukesha, WI. A private burial will be held Monday January 13, 2020 in Cambria, WI.                                                                       

In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated to the Madison Cat Project (madisoncatproject.org) to help feral and barn cats, of which Margaret was fond, or to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha (hawspets.org).