Sandra B. Roberts, of Wellesley, died peacefully on the morning of June 16th. She was 86 years old. Born Sandra Louise Brown on May 26th, 1939 in Boston, “Sandy” was the only child of Frederick Brown, a professional musician and band leader, and his wife Christine (Peyton), a realtor. Sandy grew up on Harnden Avenue in Watertown, Massachusetts, and graduated from Watertown High School in 1957, where she was a Cheerleader and an active member of the WHS Theater, Glee Clubs and Chorus.
A talented pianist, Sandy spent a year studying at the Boston University School of Music before transferring to Boston College where she majored in Education. While studying at BC she met Joe Roberts, a Korean War veteran and fellow Education major from Natick who served as class president, and played on the BC JV Basketball team. Sandy shined on the BC campus with a sharp sense of fashion. “I think Sandy was the only one on campus wearing high heels,” Joe recalls. The two were both the first in their immediate families to attend college and began dating soon after they met: taking trips to Florida for spring break and New York City to attend jazz and R&B concerts. They were married in August, 1962.
With encouragement from Sandy, Joe pursued a career in finance and soon founded Roberts Financial, a wealth management practice. Sandy followed her mother, Christine, a pioneer women’s business leader, into real estate. That began a long and successful partnership, with Sandy and Joe buying a two family home on Francis Street in Wellesley followed by additional properties in Wellesley and Cape Cod.
The couple eventually moved from Francis Street to a home on Kenilworth Road in Wellesley where Sandy raised her family and lived for the next 56 years. The couple raised three children. Christine (1963), is a Partner and Estate Planning Attorney at Mullen & Henzell in Santa Barbara, California. Joe Jr. (1965), is Managing Partner of Roberts Financial and CEO of Terriers Sports & Community Investors, Wellesley based youth wellness organizations. Paul (1970), is a Belmont based cybersecurity journalist, writer and activist in the movement for a right to repair.
Raised as an only child with two working parents, Sandy took great pleasure in the crowded and raucous home she helped build. Her permissive parenting style gave her children free rein to play, explore and discover themselves. And she rejoiced in the “free range” atmosphere of their Kenilworth neighborhood with near constant kid-run games and activities in her yard building lifetime memories and friendships.
Following divorce in the early 1980s, Sandra returned to school, receiving her B.A. in Education from Boston College. In addition to managing her commercial and residential properties, Sandy expanded her work into commercial real estate, working for Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway. In 1988, following the closure of Berkshire’s textile mills, Sandy successfully brokered a lease for the Stride Rite Corporation to move its national distribution center to New Bedford, MA. She also leased Berkshire’s vacant mill in Manchester, NH, to inventor Dean Kamen, who subsequently created the Segway scooter and launched the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) and BioFabUSA, transforming Manchester into a biotech hub.
Outside of work, Sandra enjoyed membership in the Boston Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for over 50 years, serving as Regent for many years. Sandra led a successful, multi-year DAR campaign in the mid 1980s to support restoration of the oldest surviving fortification from the American Revolutionary War, Fort Washington in Cambridge, MA.
Throughout her life, Sandy loved to travel and visited many places including Asia, Europe and South America. At home, she loved her family routines, dining and socials. She was a beloved “regular” at The Maugus Cafe, Captain Marden’s, The Linden Store, The Cottage and Wellesley Country Club. Sandy also enjoyed three plus decades as a Palm Beach snow bird enjoying many great friends, events, restaurants and clubs.
Sandra is survived by her ex-husband and lifelong friend Joe Sr.; her three children; their spouses: Tom Nichols, Zina Karayiannis, Dr. Lisa Starobin; and her six grandchildren: Joey, Alexis and Michael Roberts of Wellesley and Eliana, Shira and Ruby Roberts of Belmont. Sandy’s family will miss her love and companionship dearly and will embrace, honor & share her spirit forever. Her family’s dogs, who she also loved very dearly, will also miss their Nana.
A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 2nd, 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 502 Washington Street, Wellesley. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Interment private. A memorial site, SandrabRoberts.org, has been set up to share memories, photos and personal tributes with family and friends. Donations in Sandy’s memory can be made to:
● Community Investors CommunityInvestors.net
● The Wellesley Food Pantry Wellesleyfoodpantry.org
● Daughters of the American Revolution DAR.org