Roberta Dobbs

Eunice Roberta Dobbs passed away at her home on Tuesday morning, June 28, 2011, from a long illness. Roberta was bon in Lyerly, Georgia on September 12, 1934. She graduated from Summerville High School in 1952. She received her Bachelors Degree from Montevallo majoring in Physical Education. She was commissioned on August 11, 1956 as a 2nd Lieutenant, regular Army, and attended the Army Medical Department Orientation and Physical Therapy courses at Brooks Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. She also earned a Master’s Degree from Jacksonville State University as an Educational Specialist. While serving her country, Roberta was assigned to the following areas: Brooks Medical Center; Walter Reed; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort McClellan, Alabama; Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; and Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She received the following awards: Legion of Merit, Army Commendation Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, and the National Defense Service Medal. Roberta retired in November of 1976 at the rank of Lt. Colonel. Roberta returned to the Fort Payne area and served as a Physical Therapist in the DeKalb General Hospital, later becoming Baptist Medical Center – DeKalb, home health agencies in several counties, and for Collinsville Rehab Center until her illness in early 2011. Roberta was a member of the Fort Payne Landmarks were she served as president and secretary. She also had widespread interest and memberships in the Sierra Club, the Appalachian Trail Board of Directors, and secretary to the Women’s Military Museum located at Fort Lee, Virginia. She was very active in outdoor activities, girls camps in Maine, hiking, monitoring the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, mountain climbing in areas from Georgia to Maine, and participating in 10 K marathons for seniors. In 2009, she received the Outstanding Alumni of the Year award from the Kinesology Department of Montevallo University. Roberta was the youngest daughter of the late Robert Joel and Eunice Elva Fowler Dobbs of Fort Payne, and the sister of the late Edna Rae Dobbs. She is survived by her sister: Helen Elizabeth Dobbs; brother: Robert Van Dobbs; nephew: Charles Joel Dobbs; and Great-nephew: Jonathan Rivers Dobbs. Funeral services will be 11:00 am Thursday at the Wilson Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Pat McFadden and Mary Etta Bailey officiating. Burial will follow in the Walker’s Chapel Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 4 until 7 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Roberta Dobbs Scholarship Fund at the University of Montevallo, the Appalachian Trail Foundation, or the SCPA.

Roberta Dobbs

September 12, 1934 - June 28, 2011