Obituary of Joseph Roberts

Joseph Roberts Former Madison High School principal Joseph Roberts, a longtime Florham Park, N.J., resident, died July 8, 2015, at age 85. Friends may visit at the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main St., Madison, N.J., on Sunday, July 12, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Vincent Martyr Church, Madison, N.J., at 11 a.m. Monday, July 13. Joseph was the son of the late George and Julia Roberts of Malden, Mass., where he was raised. Joseph was also predeceased by a brother, George, and a sister, Marilyn. He began his teaching career at Vernon L. Davey Junior High School in East Orange, N.J., where he met his future wife, Diana. His career then took him to Madison in 1961, as a mathematics teacher. Joseph then became assistant principal and finally principal. He retired from Madison High School in 1991, after a fulfilling education career. Joseph was a graduate of Malden Catholic High School, Boston College and Boston University. He served in the U.S. Army as a mathematician at Dugway Testing Base in Utah. In addition to his wife of 59 years, Diana, with whom he enjoyed extensive travels in Europe, Joseph leaves his brother, Jack; children, Kevin and his wife, Izabella; Stephen and his wife, Teri, and Kathleen Keefe and her husband, Gerry, and his grandchildren whom he adored, Sean and Tyler Roberts, and Kaitlin and Meghan Keefe. Contributions may be made to the First Aid Squad, Florham Park, N.J., or Doctors Without Borders.