Marian Ruth Roberts

Memorial services for Marian Roberts will be on 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Alva First United Methodist Church with Taylor Anderson, officiating. The family will greet family and friends Friday, October 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva. Marian Ruth, daughter of the late August Louis and Marian “Ruth” (Kuhn) Bergman, was born on March 2, 1944, at Picher, Oklahoma, and passed away unexpectedly on October 6, 2025, in Oklahoma City at the age of 81 years, 7 months, and 4 days. Marian was raised in Baxter Springs, Kansas, where she attended elementary school. Her family moved to Miami, Oklahoma during seventh grade. She attended junior high and part of high school in Miami and moved back to Baxter Springs before her senior year in high school where she graduated in 1962. She graduated from Kansas State College of Pittsburg (Pittsburg State University) in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She was a lifelong learner and eventually earned Masters degrees in Math and School Administration. She taught school in Lamar, Missouri, Baxter Springs, Kansas, Dewey, Oklahoma, Butler, Oklahoma and eventually was an Elementary School Principal in Arapaho, Oklahoma and Fowler, Kansas. Marian found joy in teaching and loved to teach Math and Reading. On August 14, 1965, she was united in marriage to Thomas Paul Roberts at Baxter Springs, Kansas. The couple had two daughters, Melinda Joy and Stephanie Lyn. The family lived in Baxter Springs, then Dewey, and Clinton. After retiring as an educator in Oklahoma, Marian and Tom moved to Fowler, Kansas for six years before locating to Alva in 2005. Marian was a member of the First United Methodist Church. She loved sewing, baking and reading. She and Tom loved to go camping during the summer months and were active members of the Dolittle Camping Club. They also took many trips throughout the United States. Besides her parents, August and Ruth, she was preceded in death by her in-laws Leroy and Gertrude Roberts. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Thomas Roberts of Alva; her daughters Melinda Barton and husband, Paul, of Alva, and Stephanie Cloud and husband, Jerry Joe, of Claremore; her brother, Dr. Donald R. Bergman and wife, Carole, of Tulsa; her grandchildren, Kelsey Gibson and husband, Kody, of Cherokee, Kennedy Cloud of Elk City, Kaden Cloud of Claremore, Emily Barton of Norman, and Andrew Barton of Pittsburg, Kansas; one great-grandchild, Kailer Gibson; many other relatives and many friends. Memorial contributions may be made through the funeral home to the Alva Public Library or the First United Methodist Church.

Marian Ruth Roberts

March 2, 1944 - October 6, 2025