Richard Edward Roberts

Richard Edward Roberts passed away Thurs, October 8, 2009 at the age of 73. He was born in Michigan on July 6, 1936. Dick married his high school sweetheart, Ivaleen Ehrcke (Ivy) on June 28, 1958. After getting married, Dick served in the United States Air Force. While stationed in Germany, he listened intently as a guest chaplain from his home town explained that Jesus Christ paid the penalty of death to cover his sins and that he could be forgiven by accepting the free gift of salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ. He always joked that God couldn’t reach him at home, so He sent a chaplain from his home town all the way to Germany to reach him over there! Upon his return to the U.S., he and Ivy settled in San Diego, CA after being discharged from the Air Force. Graduating from San Diego State with a degree in Criminal Justice lead him to a position with Naval Intelligence followed by a 28 year career as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency. Dick always fought hard for the right thing to be done in every situation. Dick and Ivy have two daughters; he was always very proud of them. He raised them to love God and family and to always do their best at everything they put their minds to. He lived by the philosophy “Always be honest” and taught his girls to do the same. Dick moved to El Paso with his family in 1977 where he continued to fight the good fight; he served as a Special Agent for the DEA training agents with the El Paso Intelligence Center. After retiring, he returned to conduct background investigations for the agency. Dick spent his whole life in service to others, beginning with helping his mom with his younger siblings and helping his dad as a carpenter building garages back east to becoming a public servant in law enforcement. Dick was also a firearms instructor, which he loved doing. He seemed happiest when teaching others how to defend themselves. His hobbies included painting ceramics (which rivaled anything you could buy at a store), reloading ammunition, target shooting with his friends, and meticulously keeping up a nice yard. He also loved to fly in private airplanes and nearly earned his pilot’s license when he was young; he loved attending the annual air show and sharing his knowledge with his family; he went flying with his son-in-law (who has a pilot’s license) as often as he could. Dick was kind and selfless. He opened his home to many people over the years– friends over for dinner, weekly Bible Studies, and even allowing his daughters’ friends to live there when they needed a place to stay during their teenage years. He was determined to leave this world a better place than when he arrived. As his family, we think he accomplished his goal. There are no words to express how much we miss him, but we rejoice in knowing that he has arrived in Heaven where he was welcomed by the open arms of Jesus Himself as well as many others we love who went before him. We love you, Dick; your absence has left a gaping hole in our hearts and lives, but we take comfort in knowing we will see you again in God’s perfect time. Dick is survived by his loving wife of 51 years: Ivy Roberts; his two children: Lori and Crystal; his four grandchildren: David, Dawn, Isaac and Jason; his mother-in-law Pearl Ehrcke, his special friend and son-in-law John; his brother, Don and his wife An and their family; his sister, Gloria and her husband Dave and their family. The family welcomes Dick’s friends to attend the Memorial Service on Tuesday, October 13th at 10:30 am at Sunset Funeral Homes located at 480 N Resler El Paso, TX 79912 followed by a Graveside Service at Memorial Pines Cemetery. Friends are also invited to attend the visitation/viewing at Sunset Funeral Homes on Monday, October 12 from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home-West.