Herbert Cerille Roberts' Obituary
Herbert Cerille Roberts (born Robert), 18 March 1929 - 3 December 2025. He is survived by Emily Dickinson Roberts, and children Marguerite Van Huisseling Tallman, Daniel Jovite Roberts, and Elizabeth Dickinson Dobbs. Born and raised in Gladstone Michigan, he grew up on a very modest farm, and from there changed the world.
The youngest of 10, Herb watched as his brothers went to war, and when he was old enough, he too volunteered and served his country. He continued that service through his career with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The first person in his family to earn his university degree after serving his country in Japan (occupation) and Taiwan. He met his lifelong love at Michigan State, before together they moved to Vietnam (Saigon) in 1957. They shared 68 years of marriage.
With the State Department (USAID), they lived in Libya (Benghazi and Tripoli), then to Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), Tunisia (Tunis), Washington DC, Thailand (Bangkok), and capping his State Department career in Syria (Damascus), remaining on post while his wife and daughter were evacuated due to the hostages being taken at the embassy in Tehran. After retiring, he continued to work with the USAID in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Egypt and a number of other countries.
Herb was the epitome of a time when the United States understood that making a better world for all was as much a benefit for the US as it is the right thing for America to do.
What’s your fondest memory of Herbert?
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