Geoffrey Roberts June 14, 1958 – December 16, 2018 Share this obituary Local Florists Sign Guestbook Montpelier, VT Geoffrey Roberts, 60, of Montpelier, died peacefully, after a brief illness, with his loved ones by his side, on December 16th, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester. Geoff was the son of Leonard and Mary (Paterson) Roberts, Jr. Geoff was born in St. Johnsbury and spent his early years in Craftsbury, where his mother grew up on her family’s farm and his father’s parents owned the General Store in the Village. Geoff had wonderful memories of living over the General Store – from dropping a basket on a rope down through a grate, whenever his family needed anything to learning to open the candy case without making any noise.
Geoff’s family moved to Barre in 1968. In addition to attending school in Craftsbury and Barre, Geoff also attended The Vermont Assoc. for Crippled Children in Rutland (known today as The Vermont Achievement Center) and the Riverview School, on Cape Cod.
He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy and attended Lyndon State College. Geoff lived in the Barre-Montpelier area for most of his life and spent the last 13 years at the Heaton Woods Assisted Living Residence in Montpelier. Geoff loved history, particularly the Civil War era.
He was a lifelong reader and seeker and enjoyed reading about many different things, including, most recently, Buddhism and practicing mindfulness. Geoff’s older brother, Lenny, taught him to fish at a young age and it remained one of his favorite things to do. His travel adventures included a cross-country trip and several driving trips to Florida.
Geoff volunteered at the Vermont History Center, in Barre, for many years and greatly enjoyed the time he spent with the staff and other volunteers. Whether it was going out to eat, getting together to celebrate a holiday or family reunion, or just visiting and sharing a laugh, what Geoff loved most, was spending time with family and friends. Geoff belonged to several churches over the years, including the Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly, in Waterbury, and Resurrection Baptist Church, in Montpelier.
He loved being part of the wonderful community at The Old Meeting House Church, in East Montpelier, for the last several years. Geoff faced the end of his life with tremendous courage and faith and was an inspiration both to the many friends and family who visited from near and far and to the wonderful staff who cared for him while he was at Central VT Medical Center. Geoff was deeply admired for all the things that he had to overcome in his life.
Geoff’s warm, caring and gentle presence will be greatly missed along with his wonderful sense of humor. Geoff is survived by his sister, Jennifer Roberts, of Newton, Massachusetts, many wonderful cousins and his dear “niece”, Bella and her family. He was pre-deceased by his parents, his brother, Leonard and sister Margaret Roberts.
A memorial service and celebration of Geoff’s life will be held at The United Church of Craftsbury, on Craftsbury Common, on Saturday, January 26th, at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Vermont History Center, 60 Washington Street, Suite 1, Barre, VT 05641. Or online, at vermonthistory.org/give/donation.
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