Obituary
Myron “Diz” Dean Roberts
Myron “Diz” Dean Roberts, age 90, passed away peacefully on October 13, 2022 at Bethany Riverside Transitional Care in LaCrosse, WI. He was born on March 29, 1932 in LaCrosse, WI, son of Reuben and Ragnhild (Larson) Roberts. He was raised in his small hometown of Mindoro, WI where he knew everybody and everybody knew him.
He grew up on the family farm in Mindoro, WI. He was the fourth generation in his family to live on the Roberts’ farm. When asked if he was a farmer, he would reply, “No, I farmed—but I was not a farmer—and there’s a difference.”
When he was sixteen, his father bought a milk truck so he could drive. “That’s just what I needed because I loved to drive truck. I hauled 10 gallon milk containers, about 100 pounds a piece and brought them to the Holmen Dairy Co-op.”
He attended Mindoro Elementary and graduated from Mindoro High School in 1949. There were eleven students in his graduating class. After hauling milk for four years, he tried his hand at construction; but in 1952, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He started at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and then completed training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. He served 20+ years: starting at Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, WA; then Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, CO; 13 months in Korea with the 6146th Air Force Advisory Group, Detachment 8; then back to Colorado Springs, CO; three years at the Pentagon, Washington D.C.; and finally, Elemendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, AK. He retired with the rank of Master Sergeant in 1972.
During one of Myron’s leaves, he came back to Wisconsin and met the love of his life, Reta Mae Brodt. When asked how long it took to know she was the one, he responded, “It didn’t take long at all!” On March 3, 1956, Myron married Reta (Brodt) Roberts at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Prairie du Chien, WI. They had their reception at the Cargill House in LaCrosse, WI. They spent their honeymoon traveling back to base at Colorado Springs, CO. They have been together for sixty-six years.
Upon retirement from the military, he and his family moved back to LaCrosse, WI area. Myron worked for thirty years with his childhood friend, Paul Onsrud, at Paul’s Shaver Service on the North Side of LaCrosse as an office manager. He retired in 2008.
When Myron retired from Paul’s Shaver Shop, he became an avid golfer and could be found almost every day at Drugan’s Golf Course in Holmen, WI. He occasionally found himself at other golf courses, but his membership was at Drugan’s. He truly appreciated his golf buddies.
Myron loved to golf in his later years but when he was younger he played baseball, thus the nickname “Diz” for Dizzy Dean, famous baseball player of the day. Myron enjoyed bowling on a weekly team with great friends and his brother-in-law. He watched sports whenever time allowed and enjoyed shooting the breeze with friends.
Myron is preceded in death by his parents, Reuben and Ragnhild Roberts; sister, Elaine (Roberts) Gullikson; sister-in-law, Nancy (Brodt) Kish; brothers-in-law, Ted James, Glenn Gullikson, and son-in-law, Martin Reyes Garcia.
Myron is survived by his wife, Reta (Brodt) Roberts and his children: Mark and Cindy (Kunze) Roberts, Mindoro, WI; Tim and Julie (Roberts) Goeman, Cohasset, MN; Tracy Garcia (Roberts), Colorado Springs, CO; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
A funeral service with military honors will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 21, 2022 at The Gathering Place Chapel, 133 Mason Street, Onalaska, WI 54650. A close friend of the family, Pastor Doug Whittlef, NorthRidge Fellowship Care minister will be officiating. A light lunch will follow.
Myron will be interred at the Farmington Cemetery in Mindoro, WI in a private ceremony.
The family of Myron Roberts would like to thank the staff at Gundersen Health System, Eagle Crest North, and Riverside Transitional Care for their compassion, support and excellent care.
Reta and Family, Thinking of you all and please know you have my sympathy during this challenging time. Memories come back and certainly the reception in the Cargill House was one of the earliest and impressive. Keeping up with the news of Myron’s experiences in the Air Force was certainly another. Love to you all,