Elizabeth Jane Roberts

Elizabeth Jane Roberts (Dedrick) was born in Fargo, North Dakota to Dallas and Esther Dedrick in September 1938. Jane and her family moved to Longview, Washington where she spent the remainder of her youth. She was soon joined by her younger brother Robert, who she affectionately called "Bobby" even long into their adulthood. After graduating from R.A. Long High School in Longview, Jane ventured south to seek degrees from Willamette University in Salem, OR and the University of Oregon. She was a talented student, lifelong learner, and educator - teaching at both the secondary as well as collegiate levels. At the University of Oregon, Jane met her husband Charles. The couple moved to Sacramento, CA in the mid-1970s, eventually settling into life in the River Park neighborhood of East Sacramento. In Sacramento, Jane gave birth to two sons - Christopher and Matthew. As her children grew up, Jane juggled teaching committments with volunteer work, remaining active in several community organizations throughout the '80s and '90s. Through her association with CSU Sacramento, as well as her activities in River Park, Jane came to know many lifelong friends. Throughout her life, Jane loved to read (especially mystery novels), garden, and decorate for holidays. She enjoyed traveling back to the Oregon Coast and visiting with friends and family in Oregon and Washington. She consistently put others ahead of herself, and would never let her family and loved ones go without if she could help it. She loved beef stroganoff and made amazing mashed potatoes. And, although she was never blessed with singing talent, her voice would burst into song on random weekday mornings, in a church pew, and every single time the family car crossed over the California-Oregon border. Jane is survived by her two sons - Christopher and Matthew, her husband Charles, her brother Robert and sister-in-law Marilyn, as well as many nephews and nieces across the country and her four grandchildren - Gavin, Clark, Madelyn, and Leighton. She was loved and will be missed by many more.