Obituary for
Roberta Kirby
H. Roberta Kirby, 100, died March 28, 2017 at the VNA Hospice House in Vero Beach. Bert, a daughter of the late Robert J. and Nellie T. (Lawlor) Decker was born in South Deerfield, MA on June 20, 1916. In addition to her parents she was predeceased by a brother, Robert J. Decker, Jr.; two sisters, Catherine Bill and Frances Manning; and her two wonderful husbands, Morgan Carmel and Clayton Kirby. She is survived by her step-son, Arthur C. Kirby of Leominster, MA; step-daughter, Karen Kirby of Newberg, OR; four grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; along with over sixty nieces and nephews spread across four generations of the Bill, Carmel, Decker, Greaves, Kirby and Manning families.
Raised in South Deerfield, Bert graduated from Deerfield High School in 1933. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Our Lady of the Elms College in 1937. Bert taught math for 40 years, first in the Deerfield school system and later in Shrewsbury. In 1942 she married Morgan Carmel. They were avid boaters, even living on a lake in Worcester MA. On summer evenings, Morgan would drive the boat and Bert would water ski, a sport she continued well into her sixties. Upon their retirement in 1978, they moved to 47th Avenue in Vero Beach. Their golden years together were cut short with Morgan’s sudden death in 1981.
In 1987 Bert met and married another Massachusetts man, Arthur Clayton Kirby, originally from Hamilton MA. For the next 23 years they did everything together. Bert took up golf so she could play with Clayton. They traveled extensively in the US, Caribbean and Europe. A lifelong baseball and football fan, Bert shared Clayton’s love of hockey. After the storms of 2004, they decided that owning their own home was too much work and moved from 47th Avenue to the Brennity at Pointe West. Clayton passed away in 2010.
These past few years Bert has traveled less, watched TV more (she added the Sports Package to the basic cable), followed politics and remained strong and sharp.
A memorial service will be held Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 10:00 am at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach, FL. Memorial contributions may be made to the VNA/Hospice Foundation, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960 or to the Elms College, 291 Springfield Street, Chicopee, MA 01020.
