Roberta Faye Mathes was born on May 13, 1945 in Harper, Kansas to Arami and Bertha (Detweiler) King. She went home to be with the Lord on September 30, 2016 at the age of 71 years, 4 months, and 17 days.

Born at the Joslin Clinic in Harper, Roberta was raised on a dairy farm north of town with her three sisters and two brothers. She began her education at the Shake Well School on the family farm. Roberta attended the Runnymede Grade School and then Harper High School, graduating with the class of 1963. From there she went on to Hesston College and received her Associate's Degree.

On June 5th, 1965 she was united in marriage with Vernon Mathes at the Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Harper, Kansas. This union was blessed with four children: Tammy, Todd, Tricia, and Tonya. The family lived in Harper, Newton, Kansas, and Atlanta, Georgia before Roberta and Vernon returned to Harper.

Roberta was a mother and a wife first. She did work outside the home in different administrative positions, the last being with a real estate agency. But nothing was more important to her than family, where she especially enjoyed being the cook. Her parents raised her in the Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church. Later in life she was a very proud member of the North Atlanta Church of Christ and most recently the Eastside Church of Christ in Harper. Something also very near to her heart was providing understanding and support to friends and family in need.

Preceding Roberta in death are her parents; her brother, Eldon King; her son-in-law, Russell Mountain; and her parents-in-law, Lloyd and Lola Mathes.

Left behind to cherish her memory are her husband, Vernon; children: Tammy Brannon and husband, Matt, Todd Mathes and wife, Patty, Tricia Mountain, and Tonya Head and husband, Martin; grandchildren: Emily, Jake, and Grace Brannon, Reagan Mathes, and Madison and Cody Head; stepgrandchildren, Josh and Heather Maddox; siblings: Virginia Ediger and husband, Richard, Patty Miller and husband, Laurel, Phyllis Stutzman and husband, Doug, and Calvin King and wife, Ardis; other relatives and many friends.

Cremation has taken place. Friends may register 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday at Prairie Rose Funeral Home in Harper, Kansas.

Memorial Service will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 4th at the Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Harper.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, or AFSP, (in memory of Roberta and to honor her late son-in-law, Russ) or to Samaritan's Purse (a Franklin Graham Organization) and may be sent in care of the funeral home.

Prairie Rose Funeral Homes, 613 W 14th ~ Harper, Kansas 67058 is in charge of arrangements.