Called "Bertie" by at least one niece, Roberta was the wife of William F. Fleck, and mother of Robert and Richard.
Daughter of Howard and Clara (nee Seasholtz) Erb, her father died while she was young, and much of her childhood was spent calling Robert Gilmore "father", as he was her mother's next husband.
The 1910 census in East Vincent, Chester, Pennsylvania, the last one where her father Howard is still alive, shows a child of the right age to be her, 5 months old, with the name of Lillian. It was not known to living family if the census taker made a mistake, or if Roberta's original name was Lillian, and this seemed possible that since her father died when she was an infant that she was re-named Roberta in Robert Gilmore's honor. Once Pennsylvania opened its birth records for the time period covering her birth, we learn she was initially named Lillian Roberta Erb.
I knew, of course, that Roberta married William Fleck, but I did not expect to find it as I was randomly looking at Delaware County marriage records. There it was, one county away from where I'd expect, the young couple got married April 1, 1929. April Fools!
A few years later, their boys would come along. In November of 1937 it appears that together they sold their home in order to buy a new one. This would be congruent with their growing family.
Health-wise, it is known that she had painful knees, though no one alive has a specific diagnosis for her condition. She had colon cancer, and her son Richard developed it as well. Late in life, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and took medication for it. If this diagnosis was correct, one might wonder about it being inherited.
It seems that it depends on the cause. If the LRRK2 or SNCA gene is involved, the disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, and the affected person has one parent with the condition.
If the PARK2, PARK7, or PINK1 gene is involved, Parkinson disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and the afflicted person will have parents who each carry one copy of the altered gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the disorder.
There are also conditions that can mimic Parkinson's, among them stroke and blood vessel conditions. Roberta did indeed have a stroke. It is not known if her Parkinson's diagnosis was right or a mistake because of these other possible things. It's hard to know the medical history of her parents at this time; her father died young of typhoid fever. Her mom passed of cardiac degeneration, diabetes contributing. The cause of death of her sister Verna is murky... post operative shock from surgery for an acute gallstone condition (choleliathiasis) while in her 40's.
As a person, she was a nice combination of characteristics; she could "tell it like it is" very nicely and matter of fact-ly. I remember telling someone after I met her that she was "full of piss and vinegar" and I meant that in the very best way. She understood the likes and foibles of others, and her wise forbearance allowed her to weather some marital ups and downs with humor... and some pepper.
You see, the story I got was that Roberta had figured out her husband had a paramour he visited while out on his sales route. She found a bouquet of flowers out in his truck. Knowing they were not for her, she sprinkled them liberally with pepper.
This is the kind of lady you want to be as you mature; spirited, together, loving, unbowed by life. I'll always remember her spunk, her beautiful cheekbones, her warm smile, and her love of animals and especially big cats. I wish I had known her longer and had the chance to sop up some her of confidence and character.
Daughter of Howard and Clara (nee Seasholtz) Erb, her father died while she was young, and much of her childhood was spent calling Robert Gilmore "father", as he was her mother's next husband.
The 1910 census in East Vincent, Chester, Pennsylvania, the last one where her father Howard is still alive, shows a child of the right age to be her, 5 months old, with the name of Lillian. It was not known to living family if the census taker made a mistake, or if Roberta's original name was Lillian, and this seemed possible that since her father died when she was an infant that she was re-named Roberta in Robert Gilmore's honor. Once Pennsylvania opened its birth records for the time period covering her birth, we learn she was initially named Lillian Roberta Erb.
I knew, of course, that Roberta married William Fleck, but I did not expect to find it as I was randomly looking at Delaware County marriage records. There it was, one county away from where I'd expect, the young couple got married April 1, 1929. April Fools!
A few years later, their boys would come along. In November of 1937 it appears that together they sold their home in order to buy a new one. This would be congruent with their growing family.
Health-wise, it is known that she had painful knees, though no one alive has a specific diagnosis for her condition. She had colon cancer, and her son Richard developed it as well. Late in life, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and took medication for it. If this diagnosis was correct, one might wonder about it being inherited.
It seems that it depends on the cause. If the LRRK2 or SNCA gene is involved, the disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, and the affected person has one parent with the condition.
If the PARK2, PARK7, or PINK1 gene is involved, Parkinson disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and the afflicted person will have parents who each carry one copy of the altered gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the disorder.
There are also conditions that can mimic Parkinson's, among them stroke and blood vessel conditions. Roberta did indeed have a stroke. It is not known if her Parkinson's diagnosis was right or a mistake because of these other possible things. It's hard to know the medical history of her parents at this time; her father died young of typhoid fever. Her mom passed of cardiac degeneration, diabetes contributing. The cause of death of her sister Verna is murky... post operative shock from surgery for an acute gallstone condition (choleliathiasis) while in her 40's.
As a person, she was a nice combination of characteristics; she could "tell it like it is" very nicely and matter of fact-ly. I remember telling someone after I met her that she was "full of piss and vinegar" and I meant that in the very best way. She understood the likes and foibles of others, and her wise forbearance allowed her to weather some marital ups and downs with humor... and some pepper.
You see, the story I got was that Roberta had figured out her husband had a paramour he visited while out on his sales route. She found a bouquet of flowers out in his truck. Knowing they were not for her, she sprinkled them liberally with pepper.
This is the kind of lady you want to be as you mature; spirited, together, loving, unbowed by life. I'll always remember her spunk, her beautiful cheekbones, her warm smile, and her love of animals and especially big cats. I wish I had known her longer and had the chance to sop up some her of confidence and character.
Called "Bertie" by at least one niece, Roberta was the wife of William F. Fleck, and mother of Robert and Richard.
Daughter of Howard and Clara (nee Seasholtz) Erb, her father died while she was young, and much of her childhood was spent calling Robert Gilmore "father", as he was her mother's next husband.
The 1910 census in East Vincent, Chester, Pennsylvania, the last one where her father Howard is still alive, shows a child of the right age to be her, 5 months old, with the name of Lillian. It was not known to living family if the census taker made a mistake, or if Roberta's original name was Lillian, and this seemed possible that since her father died when she was an infant that she was re-named Roberta in Robert Gilmore's honor. Once Pennsylvania opened its birth records for the time period covering her birth, we learn she was initially named Lillian Roberta Erb.
I knew, of course, that Roberta married William Fleck, but I did not expect to find it as I was randomly looking at Delaware County marriage records. There it was, one county away from where I'd expect, the young couple got married April 1, 1929. April Fools!
A few years later, their boys would come along. In November of 1937 it appears that together they sold their home in order to buy a new one. This would be congruent with their growing family.
Health-wise, it is known that she had painful knees, though no one alive has a specific diagnosis for her condition. She had colon cancer, and her son Richard developed it as well. Late in life, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and took medication for it. If this diagnosis was correct, one might wonder about it being inherited.
It seems that it depends on the cause. If the LRRK2 or SNCA gene is involved, the disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, and the affected person has one parent with the condition.
If the PARK2, PARK7, or PINK1 gene is involved, Parkinson disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and the afflicted person will have parents who each carry one copy of the altered gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the disorder.
There are also conditions that can mimic Parkinson's, among them stroke and blood vessel conditions. Roberta did indeed have a stroke. It is not known if her Parkinson's diagnosis was right or a mistake because of these other possible things. It's hard to know the medical history of her parents at this time; her father died young of typhoid fever. Her mom passed of cardiac degeneration, diabetes contributing. The cause of death of her sister Verna is murky... post operative shock from surgery for an acute gallstone condition (choleliathiasis) while in her 40's.
As a person, she was a nice combination of characteristics; she could "tell it like it is" very nicely and matter of fact-ly. I remember telling someone after I met her that she was "full of piss and vinegar" and I meant that in the very best way. She understood the likes and foibles of others, and her wise forbearance allowed her to weather some marital ups and downs with humor... and some pepper.
You see, the story I got was that Roberta had figured out her husband had a paramour he visited while out on his sales route. She found a bouquet of flowers out in his truck. Knowing they were not for her, she sprinkled them liberally with pepper.
This is the kind of lady you want to be as you mature; spirited, together, loving, unbowed by life. I'll always remember her spunk, her beautiful cheekbones, her warm smile, and her love of animals and especially big cats. I wish I had known her longer and had the chance to sop up some her of confidence and character.
Daughter of Howard and Clara (nee Seasholtz) Erb, her father died while she was young, and much of her childhood was spent calling Robert Gilmore "father", as he was her mother's next husband.
The 1910 census in East Vincent, Chester, Pennsylvania, the last one where her father Howard is still alive, shows a child of the right age to be her, 5 months old, with the name of Lillian. It was not known to living family if the census taker made a mistake, or if Roberta's original name was Lillian, and this seemed possible that since her father died when she was an infant that she was re-named Roberta in Robert Gilmore's honor. Once Pennsylvania opened its birth records for the time period covering her birth, we learn she was initially named Lillian Roberta Erb.
I knew, of course, that Roberta married William Fleck, but I did not expect to find it as I was randomly looking at Delaware County marriage records. There it was, one county away from where I'd expect, the young couple got married April 1, 1929. April Fools!
A few years later, their boys would come along. In November of 1937 it appears that together they sold their home in order to buy a new one. This would be congruent with their growing family.
Health-wise, it is known that she had painful knees, though no one alive has a specific diagnosis for her condition. She had colon cancer, and her son Richard developed it as well. Late in life, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and took medication for it. If this diagnosis was correct, one might wonder about it being inherited.
It seems that it depends on the cause. If the LRRK2 or SNCA gene is involved, the disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, and the affected person has one parent with the condition.
If the PARK2, PARK7, or PINK1 gene is involved, Parkinson disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and the afflicted person will have parents who each carry one copy of the altered gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the disorder.
There are also conditions that can mimic Parkinson's, among them stroke and blood vessel conditions. Roberta did indeed have a stroke. It is not known if her Parkinson's diagnosis was right or a mistake because of these other possible things. It's hard to know the medical history of her parents at this time; her father died young of typhoid fever. Her mom passed of cardiac degeneration, diabetes contributing. The cause of death of her sister Verna is murky... post operative shock from surgery for an acute gallstone condition (choleliathiasis) while in her 40's.
As a person, she was a nice combination of characteristics; she could "tell it like it is" very nicely and matter of fact-ly. I remember telling someone after I met her that she was "full of piss and vinegar" and I meant that in the very best way. She understood the likes and foibles of others, and her wise forbearance allowed her to weather some marital ups and downs with humor... and some pepper.
You see, the story I got was that Roberta had figured out her husband had a paramour he visited while out on his sales route. She found a bouquet of flowers out in his truck. Knowing they were not for her, she sprinkled them liberally with pepper.
This is the kind of lady you want to be as you mature; spirited, together, loving, unbowed by life. I'll always remember her spunk, her beautiful cheekbones, her warm smile, and her love of animals and especially big cats. I wish I had known her longer and had the chance to sop up some her of confidence and character.
