Donald Wesley Roberds, PhD, 92, of Tullahoma, died Tuesday, March 18 at Brookdale Tullahoma Senior Living following a lengthy struggle with dementia. He was born February 6, 1933 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Wesley and Dorothy Roberds. He graduated from Venice High School in California and attended UCLA for two and a half years before transferring and graduating in 1955 from the University of Kansas with a degree in physics. He was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda social fraternity. He remained through his life a rabid “Jayhawk”.
He completed flight training in the U. S. Air Force and served as pilot in command of a B-47 jet bomber with the 100th Bomb Wing during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and seven Air Medals for service as a forward air controller, flying light “spotter” airplanes in Vietnam in 1969. He attained rank of Major during his Air Force career.
He started a new phase in his life by attending the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma and was awarded a PhD in electrical engineering in 1975. He retired as an engineer with Sverdrup Technology, Inc. at Arnold Air Force Base in 1998. He was a very active, long time member and Elder, of First Christian Church (Disciples Christ) of Tullahoma. In recognition of his long and significant service he was recently named an Elder Emeritus. Pursuing his love of flying, he was active in the Tullahoma Civil Air Patrol and served as local Squadron Commander.
He was married, first, to Helen Buck, who predeceased him, and second, to Catherine Morrissey, of Sudbury England, who also predeceased him. A son, David, predeceased him. He is survived by two sons, Donald and Wayne, both of England, by a sister Sharon R. Baxter of Tullahoma. and numerous grand and great-grand children in England.
The family wishes to acknowledge their gratitude for compassionate hospice care provided by our local Compassus organization.
No funeral service is planned at this time. A “Celebration of Life” service will be held at First Christian Church in future. Memorial donations should be sent to FCC, 120 West Grundy St., Tullahoma, TN 37388 or to Alzheimer’s Tennessee at PO box 1373, Tullahoma, TN 37388. Watson Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Winchester, is in charge of arrangements.
