Roberta L. Tobias age 85, of Sargent, NE passed away Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the Lexington Regional Health Center in Lexington, NE
Funeral services will be Friday, December 13, 2019 at 10:30 AM at the Church of Christ in Sargent, NE with Pastor Marty Robbins officiating. Burial will be in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Sargent, NE. Memorials are suggested to the Church of Christ. A visitation will be held on Thursday, December 12, 2019 from 2:00 to 7:00 PM with family greeting 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Church of Christ in Sargent, NE. Govier Brothers Mortuary are in charge of arrangements. Words of encouragement or remembrance can be left at www.govierbrothers.com.
Roberta was born to Joeseph and Della Cool in Amherst, Nebraska. At 13 months of age and following the death of her mother, Roberta was lovingly taken in by their Aunt and Uncle, Harvey and Essie Keyser. Harvey and Essie would become known as her parents.
Roberta was raised in the country south of Sargent, where she attended country school. She went to high school at Sargent Public School and graduated in 1952. On October 10, 1952 she married her high-school sweetheart, Zac Tobias.
Employment took Zac and Roberta to several locations – Scottsbluff, Elgin, Grand Island, Springview and Ewing. They returned back to Sargent in 1982 where they settled and continued to live their country lifestyle with cattle, horses, and Border Collies inside of city limits. Roberta worked for a time as a nurse aid but her main focus was her family and helping her husband with their Border Collie business.
She was active in her community, volunteering at the blood mobile, voting booth, and her church, the Sargent Church of Christ. Her hobbies included crocheting, bowling, and cooking (she was very good at this). Roberta kept a very neat and tidy home.
She was a caretaker for many of the wild pets Zac would bring home. Over the years she friended coyotes, racoons, skunks, opossums, peacocks, and her favorite, a Magpie named “Majestic” that she taught to talk. She had many dogs and cats over the years as well.
Roberta and Zac raised 8 children who had many children of their own. Roberta took great pride in showing off the paper that hung inside her cupboard door that displays the names and birthdates of their 22 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren.
Roberta is survived by her husband, Zac Tobias of Sargent and many nieces and nephews. Her surviving children include her son, Dean Tobias and wife Reva of Oreana, Idaho; her daughter, Kathi Yerg and husband Darrell of Lexington; her daughter, Karen Schmiser and husband Mike of Fort Smith, Arkansas; her daughter, Karla Heithoff and husband Dave of Columbus; her son, Kasey Tobias and wife Kathy of Sargent; her daughter, Becky Beckman and husband Dan of Laurel; her son, Richard Tobias and wife Donna of Anderson, South Carolina; and her son, Steve Tobias of Alda.
She was proceeded in death by both sets of parents Joeseph and Della Cool of Miller, Nebraska, and Jim and Essie Keyser of Ansley, Nebraska; three sisters, Mildred, Verda and Lorraine, and a brother Jerry; two grandsons, Russell Kelley and Ricky Tobias Jr; and one great-grandson, Traydon Tobias
