Roberta Jean Conner

Roberta Jean Conner, of Greenwood, Missouri, passed away on May 12, 2023, after spending her final days in her home of 33 years.

She was born on December 14, 1932, to Harry and Georgia Sutherland in Henry County, Missouri. After she graduated from high school, she went to work in the HR department at Westinghouse in Kansas City, where she met her future husband, Alvin Conner.

On June 1, 1952, she married Al. They made their home in Raytown, Missouri, and began raising a family of six children. Roberta devoted her life to being a homemaker. She took her profession seriously by managing the family home, caring for the children, cooking, cleaning, shopping, organizing family celebrations and more. She said she wanted to be remembered as being “a good wife and mother”. She succeeded in leaving that legacy.

Roberta loved to have fun with her family. There were many trips to the lake with plenty of boating, water skiing, camping activities and more. She was an avid seamstress and made many outfits for her children and their dolls. She enjoyed backyard barbeques with her family. Her cheeseburgers and homemade ice cream were the best. Everyone enjoyed her oatmeal cookies too.

After her children were grown and her husband retired, Roberta pursued and excelled at a nine-year career in retail at Sears. She approached this just like everything else with perfection. She enjoyed working with the public and earned the award of top sales associate in her last month of work with the company.

Roberta spent her retirement years in the beautiful lakeside home her husband built for her in Greenwood, Missouri. She planned many family gatherings there for her growing family. She was known for her freshly sun brewed iced tea, homemade pumpkin pies, delicious fruit salads, and of course, those cheeseburgers on the grill. Gardening was the activity she loved most during those years. Her gardens were beautiful and fragrant. Neighbors would comment on how they often saw her working in her front yard gardens.

Roberta was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin Conner, and her daughter, Michelle Alva Conner. She is survived by her five children: Deborah Graham (Lenexa, KS), Kathleen Howell (Kansas City, KS), Sharon Erdt (Chester, VA), Melissa Mathews (Lee’s Summit, MO) and Alvin Conner Jr. (Harrisonville, MO). She is also survived by nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

The family had a small, intimate. “by invitation only” gathering at Roberta’s home per her final wishes.