Roberta Lee Alkire Family and friends mourn the recent passing on February 7th, 2006 of Roberta Lee Alkire of Larkspur. Roberta was loved and admired. To her large and extended family, she was a warm and generous woman who was always ready to share a burden or a laugh. To her many colleagues and students, she was an engaged and dedicated teacher. She loved literature and films and brought her excitement and pleasure to many young people. To her friends she was a witty and entertain companion. To her husband Frank Gold, she was a loving and beloved companion of thirty years. Theirs has been a partnership of shared joys and commitments.
Roberta loved to travel and the couple traveled together extensively in Europe, Asia, North Africa, Australia and across America. Her travel journals contain wonderful stories of their adventure s and photos and souvenirs of their journeys. She taught English at Redwood, Tamalpais, and Drake High Schools and retired in 2000 after twenty nine years in the Tamalpais Union High School District.
Her other passion was for her grandchildren Samuel Festerman, Ryan Festerman, and Alexandra Gold, whom she adored. The feeling was mutual.
Roberta was born April 14, 1942 to Robert and Sigrun Alkire, the second of their five children. She was raised in Seattle, graduated from Ballard High School, the University of Washington, and received her teaching credential from the University of San Francisco, where she was honored as Outstanding Student Teacher in her class. Survived by husband Frank Gold and his children Buffie Gold and her husband Jim Festerman and Michael Gold and his partner Dawn Ebert; sisters Susan Lane, Mary Weaver, Judy Page and brother Mike Alkire, all of Seattle; nieces, Julie Graf, Chelene Alkire, Kady Alkire and nephews Geoffrey Lane, Joshua Lane, Tyler Weaver of Seattle and Robert Alkire of Snohomish, WA; and numerous close cousins.
There will be a celebration of Roberta's life from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, March 12th at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98105
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