Obituary of William McRoberts

William F. McRoberts, 101, of Belvidere, NJ, died on Monday, October 8, 2007 at home with his family by his side. Born: On August 28, 1906 in Castleton, ND, he was a son of the late Francis W. and Edith Murray McRoberts. Personal: His wife, the former Judith Higgins, died in 1989. William lived in Detroit Lakes, Minn., prior to moving to Belvidere, NJ. He retired from Gamma Chemical Co., Great Meadows, NJ as a chemist in 1971. As a young man, he began his career as an air traffic control operator for Pan Am, stationed in Alaska from 1935 to 1945. He then owned and operated a restaurant named "The Hillside" in Detroit Lakes. William graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelors degree. He received his Masters degree in Chemistry from Dartmouth College. He enjoyed sailing and had participated in and won many regatta events in Detroit Lakes, earning him the nickname "Skipper Willy." At North Dakota State, he was an excellent ice hockey player who was featured on Ripley's Believe It Or Not for stopping the most goal attempts with his eye swollen shut. Survivors: He is survived by three sons, F. William and Jonathan M., both of Hawaii and Glenn Scott of San Diego; a daughter, Judith McRoberts Teves of Belvidere, NJ; eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. A sister, Sally, died earlier. Services: A Life Celebration will take place at Lake Melissa in Detroit Lakes. The service will be announced for the summer of 2008. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Warren Hills Memorial Home, 234 W. Washington Avenue, Washington, NJ 07882. To send an on-line condolence, visit . Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mountain Lake Fire Co., 99 Tamarack Road, Belvidere, NJ 07823.