Born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 23,1927
Deceased in Walnut Creek, California on July 31, 2022
Parents: Martha Louise Williams Roberts (nicknamed Polly) and Charlton Read Roberts (nicknamed Choc)
Grandparents - maternal: Harriet (Hattie) Aldridge Williams and Nathaniel (Nat) Williams.
Grandparents - paternal: Anne Mullen Roberts and Thomas Slade Roberts
Survived by Daughters: Patricia Anne Walker and Judith Elaine Atterbury, along with son-in-law, Burnie Atterbury
Grandchildren: Scott, Matt, Lisa, Kendall, Kaitlin, Chris, Ryan, and Taylor
Great Grandchildren: Quincy, Bennett, Eleanor, Stella, Mara, Jacob, Olivia, Noelle
Anne was born into a loving family deeply rooted in the warmth and faith of Southern life. Anne’s father, Choc, met her mother, Polly, while he was at Georgia Tech studying Civil Engineering. He was too young to serve in WWI, but was in the ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corp). He also attended Columbia University for a short time before marrying Polly. Polly died too soon, as a young mother and wife at age 27 (1930) from pneumonia, leaving behind two young daughters: 6 year old Martha Louise and 3 year old Anne Aldridge. Their faither remarried several years later to Sarah Stamps. They continued to live in Atlanta, where he was prominent in engineering projects, including the Atlanta Post Office. Choc and Sarah had one son, Charlton Read Roberts Jr. born in 1941.
Daughters Anne and Martha were raised by their maternal grandparents, Hattie and Nat Williams in Atlanta. These were the years of the Great Depression. What they lacked in material things was more than made up with the nurturing love and kindness of Grandaddy and Gramma. Anne loves to tell the story about Grandaddy waking them up every morning, singing, “Coffee Man coming, Coffee Man coming!” And they always saved the last sip of their coffee for their dog Flip, named after Flippence, the deacon at their church, 1st Baptist of Atlanta.
Anne and Martha graduated from Girls High School of Atlanta, as did their mother. Both sisters were active in Student Government - Anne, as President of Student Government for the school during her senior year. Upon their graduations, both sisters won awards for outstanding citizenship by the Atlanta Constitution newspaper as well as various monetary awards towards their college tuition.
After high school, Anne attended Shorter College for 2 years and Agnes Scott College for 1 year. It was during this time that Anne met her sweetheart Johnny. It was a love story much like her own mothers’. John Cecil Groce, recently completing his WWII service in the Navy, was studying Engineering at Georgia Tech. Their paths crossed through mutual friends at 1st Baptist. They fell in love and were married on August 19, 1949. John graduated from Georgia Tech in Electrical Engineering (1948) and received his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1950. Anne continued her college studies at Boston University. During the 1950s, less than 1.2% of women attended college, and it was especially uncommon for them to study science. Anne excelled in her studies at Boston U, graduating with a B.A. degree in Biology in 1950.
In 1951, Anne and John moved with their 3 month old son, John Leslie, from Boston to New Jersey - first Garfield and then Nutley. John worked at Transducer Corp and then at ITT Labs. They were happily blessed with 2 more children, Patricia Anne in 1954 and Judith Elaine in 1957.
In 1959, Anne and John moved their young family to Santa Ana, California. John worked at Ford Philco’s Aeronutronic Division, while Anne lovingly nurtured her 3 young children. Her involvement outside the home included helping in Brownie and Girl Scouts, supporting school events, leading church youth groups, and attending the Women’s Mission Society. Inside the home, Anne loved to garden, sew, work crossword puzzles, read and cook “southern-style” for her family and friends.
In 1966, Anne and John moved to Woodland Hills, California, where John worked at RCA until 1970. At that time, Anne re-entered the workforce. She first worked in Dr. Brandt’s office as an office assistant. After 13 months, Anne worked as an accountant at IDC in Burbank, which later became part of SDC in Santa Monica, then Unisys in Camarillo. Having worked hard and commuted all over Southern California, Anne earned a well-deserved retirement in 1987.
Anne and John moved to Prescott, AZ in July 1987 to begin a new adventure of retirement living. They loved their life of “Southern Charm meets the Wild West of Prescott”, filling their time with hikes in the surrounding forests, quiet library afternoons, and neighborhood friends. Their daughters remained in the California Bay Area with their growing families. Sadly, Anne and John’s son, John Leslie, died in August of 1994 in an airplane accident. He was 43 years old and left behind 3 children.
In 2011, now in their 80’s, Anne and John moved back to California to live near their daughters and families. John passed that same year, leaving Anne to begin another new season of life. Patty, Elaine and Burnie watched over her faithfully and lovingly. They shared many family holidays, made much of each birthday, examined every garden rose together, planted “Anne’s Garden” filled with vegetables and flowers. They sang together the old church hymns that meant so much to Anne. Later, as Anne’s memory diminished, Patty and Elaine would recite the Lord’s Prayer and other familiar scripture to their mom, especially Psalm 23. Their comforting thought is of Anne beside her beloved Shepherd Jesus, walking peacefully in green pastures beside calm waters, with restored soul.
