Cecil Loyd Roberts

Cecil Loyd Roberts. 91, of High Vista in Mills River, died peacefully and surrounded by loved ones on July 1, 2016. A native of Buncombe County, he was the son of the late E.S. and Mabel Hensley Roberts. He was also preceded in death by one sister, Faye Roberts Barnard and one brother, Robert Ray Roberts. He attended Lee Edwards High School, graduating in the class of 1943. He was a member of the "Greatest Generation" and served in the US Army during WWII from 1943-1946. He attended Mars Hill Junior College, Asheville Biltmore Junior College and graduated from Western Carolina Teachers College where he was a member of the 1949 football team, which was inducted in the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. He was a teacher in Monroe, NC before returning to Asheville to take over his father's grocery business. He found his calling as an Allstate Insurance agent and considered all of his clients his friends. He worked full-time for 36 years until his retirement at age 73. Mr. Roberts believed in helping others and was a past-President of the Asheville Sertoma Club, a member of the Elks and a lifetime member of the VFW. A founding member of High Vista Country Club, he was an avid golfer and was especially proud of his 20 certified holes-in-one. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 50 years, Betty C. Roberts; two daughters, Pamela Roberts of Atlanta, GA and Cindy Winkenwerder (John) of Asheville; two sons, Gerald Roberts (Diane) and Derrick Roberts of St. Petersburg, FL and special nephew, George Chittick. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, Christina Johnson, James Bernard, Amanda Roberts, Gavin Roberts, John Winkenwerder, Jr, Joseph Winkenwerder and Katherine Winkenwerder, as well as nieces, Janet Roberts, Sheila Nungesser and nephew, Bill Barnard. Mr. Roberts was a member of West Asheville Presbyterian Church. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 9, 2016 in the Chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 10:30-11:00 AM and a reception will follow the memorial service in the Laurel Room at High Vista Country Club. The family would like to thank Dr. Robert Smith and his dedicated staff, as well as CarePartners Hospice for the exceptional care provided and a special thank you to Roxy at CarePartners. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to CarePartners, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.