Obituary of Donald Dean Roberts

May His Soul Rest in Peace

Donald Dean Roberts died peacefully at Madigan Army Medical Hospital, Joint Base Lewis McChord on December 25, 2022 in Pierce County, Washington at the age of 81.

Donald is survived by his wife, An Roberts; children, Jeanne Serrano (Julio) of Tacoma, Washington; Danice Warnke of Federal Way, Washington; grandchildren, Corey Scott (Cyndi) of Vista, California; Ryan Scott (Hailey) of Anchorage, Alaska; Maxwell Warnke of Seattle, Washington; Juliana Serrano of Las Vegas, Nevada; Elise Warnke of Federal Way, Washington; great grandchildren Noah and Bobbie Sue; and sister, Gloria Aho (Dave), of Colorado. He is preceded in death by brothers, Richard Roberts (Ivy) of El Paso Texas, Dale Roberts (Carolyn) of Boyne City, Michigan, and Edward Holland of Novi, Michigan.

Donald was born on May 19, 1941 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Lorna Greenwald and Carl Lewis Roberts. His mother, Lorna, divorced and was remarried to Francis Holland, who was Donald's stepfather. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1960 and served in various campaigns for the Vietnam War. He married An Thi Pham in Saigon, Vietnam in 1965. He retired as Sergeant First Class in Anchorage, Alaska after 20 years of service. He continued to work as a draftsman for various architects in Anchorage, including Clai Porter. He was a member of Maranatha Baptist Church and an avid fisherman and hunter. He and An relocated to San Diego, California and finally settled in Washington in 1989 where he stayed busy designing, constructing and “flipping” homes in Olympia and Tacoma.

A memorial ceremony will be held at Mount Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. Details of the schedule will be shared later. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Donald’s life. The family would like to thank the hospital staff at Madigan Army Medical Center for their care of Donald and the Edwards Memorial with their professional service and support during this difficult time.