Naomi Roberts' Obituary
Naomi Roberts, born in Brooklyn, New York on February 4th, 1951, a lifelong resident of Orange Park, Florida, made her trip to heaven June 20th, 2024 at the age of 73.
Naomi was the middle of 5 children. She moved out of her home at the age of 15 into a girls' home. When she turned 18 she left NYC and relocated to Jacksonville, Florida where she met her husband, Steve Roberts, who was stationed there in the Navy. They moved around the Southeast with the Navy and had two children, Deborah and Michael. Steve retired from the Navy and they settled in Orange Park, Florida.
At the age of 60, she received her RN then BSN in nursing and working at the state mental hospital and home health, helping many pediatric and wound care patients.
She taught English at Clay Literacy, mentored and advocated for children in troubled homes who she invited to eat dinner with her family and join in family activities. She taught Sunday School at Orange Park Methodist, and volunteered at the National Cemetery in Jacksonville so that no Veteran would be buried alone or without dignity, and volunteered at The Way Free Medical Clinic. She was very involved in politics in Clay County. Naomi loved to knit, cook, and was an avid reader.
She had battled numerous health issues after volunteering in the Pfizer Covid safety trials. She knew the risks of volunteering for experimental treatments as a nurse and wanted to help her community. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastasized Lung Cancer, which shocked her doctors, two blood clots, and chronic pneumonia, her trial coordinator said they were no longer tracking the participants and did not take a report. It was ironic that she passed away from heart inflammation 15 days after contracting Covid, although she was negative by the time she was hospitalized. Her heart was already weakened from her previous illness. She passed away in the Hospice wing at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Her passing was quick and peaceful. She was laughing and in good spirits on her last day on earth.
Survived by her ex-husband, Stephen Roberts, and father of her children, Deborah (David Childers) and Michael (Sara Roberts), and her five grandchildren including the daughters of Michael and Sara: Hannah, Claire, and Faith Roberts and the sons of David Childers and Deborah Roberts: James and Matthew Childers, her sister, Carol, and brothers, Harvey and Martin, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A memorial service is planned for 10:30 AM, Thursday, July 11th at the Mulligan Park Gracious Retirement Living, 1800 Hermitage Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32308. A graveside service will follow at noon at Roselawn Cemetery on Piedmont Dr. in Tallahassee.
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