Local Rotary Leader Johnny Roberts Passes Away at Home

In Memory of John Fredrick Roberts, Jr

Johnny Roberts rode off into the sunset to be with our Lord in heaven in March of 2020. He wanted to stay much longer to be with his family, but duties called him to serve in the hereafter.

Johnny passed away peacefully at his Anza ranch surrounded by loved ones and his favorite dog Marie.

Johnny came into this world in 1950. Born in central Ohio to Wilma (Philipps) and Jerry Roberts. He was very proud to be from a Welsh family who settled the Welsh Hills of Granville, Ohio. He was the oldest of 9 children from blended families.

Johnny attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. But was also a passionate Ohio State Buckeyes fan.

John married his best friend Jill (Kemerer) in 1989 in Westerville, Ohio. They raised seven children together (his, hers, and theirs). Family has always been their number one priority in life.

Johnny was an amazing son, brother, uncle, cousin, father, grandfather, husband, and friend.

As a son, his mother taught him manners and how to act like a gentleman, especially towards women. He, therefore, insisted that his sons behave as gentlemen and to NEVER hit a woman. He expected his daughters to be ladies, respectful, and kind. We didn’t allow any name-calling in our home. He wanted all his children to be good parents and mentors to others and live their lives as to leave an honorable legacy.

He was a pretty good cook, and with seven children, having a partner as a cook was much appreciated. His specialties included spaghetti, meatloaf, Wilma’s macaroni salad, Uncle Lloyd’s potatoes on the grill, and Johnny Marzetti. He made a good omelet too. He loved packing the kids’ lunches and would make a big production of packing all the bags full of the best stuff. Although he would rarely clean the kitchen after cooking, he would launder the kids’ sports uniforms.

Johnny had a keen sense of humor, although he was usually quiet with it. When you would least expect a smart comment, he’d lean towards you and crack a joke.

He was an American Patriot through and through. He was a Seabee in the United States Navy. He would say to me many times, “The best decision I ever made was joining the military… next to marrying you.” Then he’d grin at me and make those blue eyes sparkle. He was a charmer.

As a brother and cousin, I believe the younger ones truly looked up to him and sought out his advice. He would continually reach out to his nieces and nephews and let them know he was available.

As my husband of 31 years, he was my best friend, confidante, parenting partner, and co-pilot. He was the calm one who took the time to make a decision. He was the best negotiator. I was the one spinning circles with my wild imagination and silly fears. I would worry, and he would calm me. I was outgoing, and he was basically shy. I was loud, he was quieter. We were both very independent and rebellious together and liked to break the rules.

Johnny was very creative. He loved building things in wood and constructed his share of bunk beds, clubhouses, stages, and shelves. He loved to frame walls but not so much the finishing work. He loved to write stories. We published 3 different monthly magazines over the years. He loved writing mini-biographies for people and focused on the positive.

Johnny and I started our own advertising agency after an agency he worked for, and I freelanced for closed its doors. I was fascinated by watching his determination to work the yellow pages and make phone calls to get us appointments. I’d never seen that before. I learned how to make sales calls on the phone and in-person from him. It wasn’t my forte, but I can give excellent customer service to clients who need what I have to offer. It was amazing to watch him build his calendar quickly. He loved my art and graphic design and thought I was brilliant. He said he could listen and talk to me forever and never get bored. Of course, I fell in love with him!

When we married, we agreed to never divorce, no matter what. Our children had already experienced too much, and we just wanted to give them a loving, supportive, safe home to grow up in. We moved in with 6 kids and had 1 together. We had a blast raising a house full of kids. It had its challenges, but we kept them in every activity they wanted to join. Johnny felt that kids learning teamwork through sports was excellent training for adulthood. Those years were hectic but full of love and laughter. We now have 7 adult children who are all successful in everything they want to do. We have 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandsons.

Johnny truly believed in the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.” He became a Rotarian in 1989 in Central Ohio. He was a member of several clubs there. Upon moving to Southern California, he became a member of the Rotary Club of Murrieta, Temecula Evening, and the Temecula Sunrise Club. He was the recipient of many awards such as Rotarian of the Year and many more…. He was touched and humbled with every reward and piece of recognition he’d receive, right up to the end. Just a few days before he passed away, his eyes lit up when his buddy Mark Sitar brought a mockup of a certificate designating the Rotary Club of Temecula Sunrises RYLA awards in Johnny’s name.

Johnny served in a variety of civic capacities. He was coach to many youth league sports teams, including T-ball, baseball, and soccer. He was an involved parent encouraging and driving kids to sports, art, music, theater, gymnastics, cheerleading, scouts, and more. He attended every school event possible. He would go to parent-teacher meetings and sometimes teach a teacher a thing or two about how to treat children better. He loved being the announcer up in the box for girls’ soccer in Granville, Ohio. He loved having the “special key” to the high school gymnasium and kept that on his key ring for many years.

Johnny was a self-esteem builder. Based on his own childhood, he felt it was vital that each and every child understand just how special and appreciated there were. He emphasized this with both our own children, their friends, and other youth activity participants.

He wanted everyone to find happiness in their life. Whatever worked best for them. It broke his heart to see people who were miserable or hurting.

He loved trying new things, from food to activities. I brought him into the world of art. He enjoyed going to art museums seeing original pieces of art. In Southern California, he loved introducing me to all the museums and beauty of Balboa Park.

Johnny loved animals as much as children. God forbid a stray dog cross our paths. Before I could protest, we’d be feeding and loving that dog in our home too. We currently have five dogs. All are rescued and feel like they hit the lottery living on our ranch and being loved.

Music. Johnny could not carry a tune to save himself, but he loved music. He memorized lyrics, album cover designs, lists of songs on each album. He might forget to take out the trash, but he could tell you the names of drummers, bass players, and other musicians from 40 years ago! He had a good ear and loved live music. He always appreciated a voice that was a musical instrument in itself. He always said the best singers were the ones who didn’t need an instrument but could mesmerize and entertain with just their voice. His favorite band was the Rolling Stones. He even had their logo tattooed on his arm in the 70s. His taste for music was vast. He loved BB King, Tom Waits, John Prine, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Joanie Mitchell, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Pure Prairie League, Dr. Hook, The Band, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, J. Geils Band, Santana, David Allan Coe, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, Manfred Mann, Johnny Rivers, and Paul Simon. This list is never-ending because he loved music so much!

After beating cancer in 2006 with 38 aggressive radiation treatments and chemo, Johnny suffered from the effects of radiation for all his following years. He suffered quietly, continuing to serve his community and love his family. When he was diagnosed again, he was still confident most days that he would beat it. More treatments with lots and lots of doctor appointments, lab work, needles, and continuous trips to the ER and hospitals, he finally said enough. He saw no reason to be sick on chemo when that was the last resort and not curative. He knew that cancer was taking over, so he made the best of his final year of life. He fulfilled some bucket list items. He texted and emailed friends, he posted on Facebook, and he asked his children to bring his grandchildren to come and visit him frequently.

Johnny was well known for his generosity, kindness, and consideration for others. He rarely met a stranger and had no problem picking up hungry hitchhikers and bringing them home. Especially if they had a good story to tell.

He was quite the storyteller himself. He loved to write stories about others, and he loved telling long, drawn-out stories and jokes. His favorite long joke was about Brewster the Rooster. His stories and explanations, especially if they were historical, were always preceded with a long preamble that we’d have to sit patiently through it to get to his story. But our patience was well worth the preface, the story and lessons learned.

John’s career spanned the advertising industry, including sales, marketing, print publishing, radio, and television in both Ohio and California. He possessed a sincere passion for training salespeople to be good listeners and problem solvers. He enjoyed writing advertising copy and creating good stories. He also loved writing biographical stories about real people focusing on their best contributions in life.

John was a veteran serving in the United States Navy as a Seabee. He was ever protective of the United States Constitution and laws while passionately defending the 2nd Amendment.

He was ardent about the Blues and Rock and Roll music from the 60s. He collected music memorabilia and concert tee-shirts.

Johnny was known for his quick wit, his infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit.

John loved youth sports and was deeply involved in his children’s’ activities, including coaching youth and high school baseball, T-ball, soccer, and announcing games at the stadiums. He was red-carded or ejected from only a few games when he would hotly disagree with a ref.

During retirement, he visualized and founded The Manzanita Ranch, a nonprofit using horses as therapy for Veterans with PTSD, cancer patients, and at-risk youth. The ranch has served nearly 400 clients with many who return regularly to enjoy the horses, volunteer and help guide others.

John’s philosophy on Eternal LIfe is that he would always live on through his children.

John is survived by his wife Jill, sons Travis (and Linda) Roberts, Ian Roberts, Ben (and Steffanie) Schaffer; daughters Amanda Roberts, Angela (and Joey) Russo, Holly (and Edward) Michel and Julian (Jamie Black) Roberts. Grandchildren: Samantha, (and John) Kaden and Jaxon Lu, Liam and Elin Roberts, Kaylie and Olivia Schaffer, Aiden and Lillian Russo, Atticus, and Orion Michel, and Jett Black. Also, many siblings and cousins.

Services will be held at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California, at 10:30 am on Thursday, October 8, 2020.

In place of flowers, DONATIONS can be made to the Johnny Roberts Foundation, benefitting the Manzanita Ranch and youth activities.

“To my cherished husband, I will forever carry our wonderful memories in my heart.”

Jill