Elaine P. Roberts

Elaine P. Roberts of Burt, New York, lately of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at her home in Shrewsbury on 19 October 2020 in her 76th year, after a brief illness.

She was born on 22 October 1944 in North Tonawanda, New York, the only child of Helen A. (née Zazycki) and John F. Zielinski. She attended Mount St. Mary Academy and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at D’Youville College, then married her husband, Harry W. Roberts, Jr., on 16 July 1966. They moved around the country while raising two daughters, living in Alabama, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Ohio before finally returning to Western New York in 1979, where they made their home until 2019.

Elaine was a devout Catholic and served as a lector for many years at St. Gregory the Great parish in Williamsville, New York. Although disabled at the age of 36 by a metabolic bone disorder, she had a lifelong love of learning, and volunteered at Erie County Community College as a note-taker for students with disabilities. Elaine loved music, needlework, and books, especially British literature. She was a devoted daughter, wife, and mother, and an adoring grandmother, as well as a meticulous homemaker with a genius for organization.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Harry, daughters Anne Michele (Alan) Wight of England and Julie (Bruce) Szczepankiewicz of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and grandchildren, James and Jennifer Wight, and Matthew, Daniel, Jeremy, and Catherine Szczepankiewicz.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Luke the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 70 West Main Street, Westborough, Massachusetts, at 10:30 am on Monday, October 26, with no prior visitation. Private inurnment will take place in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Kenmore, New York. A memorial Mass to celebrate Elaine’s life with family and friends will be scheduled in New York at a date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Catholic Charities of Buffalo, 741 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209 or Smile Train.