Grass Valley native, Roberta Ellen Smith, passed away Dec. 23, 2019. She was 85. Memorial services will be held on January 4, 2020 at 11 a.m. at the Hooper and Weaver Chapel in Nevada City.
Roberta was born at Jones Hospital on February 10, 1934 to Doris and Jim Heather. When the nurse called her “a little bob of a thing,” she was forevermore known as Bobbe.
Bobbe grew up surrounded by a large extended Cornish mining family enjoying Girl Scouts and Jobs Daughters and graduated from Grass Valley High in 1951. After marrying her high school sweetheart, Stuart Smith, the couple went on to raise five children on the ranch off Bitney Springs.
Bobbe earned her teaching credential at Sacramento State and enjoyed a wonderful 27 year career at Seven Hills School in Nevada City. In addition to being a dedicated teacher, Bobbe was a member of several local community service organizations throughout the years. She enjoyed her involvement with young students through the Soroptimist of the Foothills, “Live your Dream” project and many others. Her most cherished membership was the Phi Epsilon Phi sorority, Lambda chapter, to which she belonged for more than 50 years.
Bobbe spent her retirement years relaxing at home, shopping and traveling with friends and family to places around the world and always enjoyed describing her adventures to her family. Bobbe lived a full and happy life in her hometown of Grass Valley and was very proud of her Cornish heritage.
She is survived by her sons, Steven (Pati) of Gerlach, Nevada, Dan of San Diego, Chuck (Tammy) of Grass Valley, Ken of Davis Creek and Daughter Ellen Stallings (Ken) of Grass Valley, 12 grandchildren and 19 great grand children and cousins Bonnie Marin and Juanice Kochis.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Doris and Jim Heather, brothers, William and John Heather and her husband, Stuart Smith.
Memorial Contributions to KVIE Pubic Television.
