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About Us

Our Valued Staff

Once you request the services of Roberts Funeral Home, we will immediately put our experienced funeral professionals to work for you. A single, dedicated individual will stay in contact with you every step of the way and guide you through the decision-making process. He or she will carefully explain your options, make recommendations at your request, take care of all the small details, and ensure that you and your family’s personal touch is always present.

The Roberts Family

J.P. Roberts

J.P. Roberts

Founder 1929 - 2011

J.P. was born in Sneedville, Tennessee, where he graduated from Sneedville High School in 1947. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from East Tennessee State University in 1951. He served in the US Army during the Korean Conflict. Following the war, he and his brother Chester founded many cemeteries in Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia including Sherwood Memorial Gardens, Wooster, Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, Wadsworth, and Eastlawn Memorial Gardens, Brunswick. With his sons, he was the founder of Roberts Funeral Home in Wooster, the first Cemetery / Funeral Home Combination in Ohio.


He was very active in the cemetery industry in Ohio and nationally, serving as president of the Ohio Association of Cemeteries and on the board of the American Cemetery Association. He earned the Outstanding Cemeterian Award in 1988, only the second time it had been presented.


He was a member of Grace Brethren Church and past president of the Madisonburg Lions Club. He served the Wooster community in many ways: raising money and donating thousands of hours to better the community. He enjoyed golf, fishing, travel, and spending time with his ten grandchildren

Alex P. Roberts

Alex P. Roberts

President - Roberts Funeral Home, Licensed Funeral Director

Alex was born in Wooster, Ohio, where he graduated from Wooster High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Miami University. He graduated with an Associate Degree in Mortuary Science from The Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, and was president of his fraternity. After serving an apprenticeship under his brother Jeff Roberts he was licensed as a funeral director in 1994. 


Alex and his wife Pam live with their two sons in Wooster. He is a member of the Grace Church in Wooster. Alex also serves the community in the Wooster Noon Lions Club, where he is past president. Alex is also a member of the Ebenezer Lodge #33 F&AM, and Wooster Chapter #27. He has served on several boards including Hospice and Palliative Care of Greater Wayne County, Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce, Wayne County Children Services Board, the Wooster Noon Lions Club, and the Wooster Country Club. Alex enjoys spending time with his family, golf, travel, and playing the drums.

Jeffrey P. Roberts

Jeffrey P. Roberts

Chief Financial Officer, Licensed Funeral Director

Jeff was born in Kentucky, and graduated from Wooster High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Miami University. Jeff earned his funeral director license in 1988. 


Jeff and his wife Michelle live in Wooster. They have three children. He is a member of the Grace Church in Wooster where he serves as a Pastoral Care member and is an usher. Jeff also serves the community in the Kiwanis Club, where he is both past president and treasurer. He has served on several boards including The Red Cross, Grace Church, the International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA), and United Way. He is a past president of the Ohio Cemetery Association (OCA). Jeff enjoys tennis, pickleball, and spending time with his grandchildren.

Kirk D. Roberts

Kirk D. Roberts

Family Services Director, Licensed Funeral Director

Kirk was born in Wooster, OH and graduated from Wooster High School in 1984. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Miami University and earned his funeral director license in 2000.


Kirk lives with his wife Jelayne and has 2 adult children, 2 adult step children and 5 grandchildren. He is a member of Grace Church in Wooster. Kirk has served on several boards including the Salvation Army, and is past president of the Ohio Cemetery Association and the Wooster Christian School Board and was recently appointed by the Governor of Ohio to the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission. Kirk is also a member of the Toppers organization, a private group of cemetery and funeral professionals. Kirk enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and cooking.

Jarad P. Roberts

Jarad P. Roberts

Licensed Funeral Director

Jarad was born in Wooster, Ohio and graduated from Wooster High School. He earned an Associates of Business Management from Akron University. He then went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Mortuary Science from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. After serving his apprenticeship under Alex Roberts, he became licensed in 2011.


Jarad lives in Wooster with his wife Jean, and daughters Jocelyn and Josie. He is the son of Jeff and Michelle Roberts. Jarad is a member of Grace Church in Wooster, and of the Wooster Kiwanis Club. He enjoys watching the Cleveland Indians and taking his daughters golfing.

Wesley J. Roberts

Wesley J. Roberts

Funeral Director Apprentice

Wesley was born in Wooster, Ohio and graduated from Wooster High School. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a Specilization in Operations Management from The Ohio State University, and is currently serving his funeral director apprenticeship under Alex Roberts.


Wesley lives in Wooster and is the son of Alex and Pam Roberts. He is a member of Grace Church where he enjoys playing drums. Wesley enjoys traveling, golfing, watching the Cleveland Browns and The Ohio State Buckeyes.

Michael D. Roberts

Michael D. Roberts

Director of Maintenance, IT Systems Administrator

Michael was born in Wooster, Ohio to Kirk and Kim Roberts and graduated from Smithville High School in 2013. In 2014 he joined the Marine Corps and served for four years as a Cyber Network Operator. During his time in the Marine Corps, Michael gained the rank of Sergeant and deployed as part of the 11 th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Makin Island and later took the role of training NCO for his unit. Michael joined the business in 2018 as the Director of Maintenance and IT Systems Administrator. 


Michael married his wife Da Sung in 2024 and they currently live in Wooster, OH. Michael is a member of the Brockenlock Longrifle gun club and enjoys spending his time target shooting, hunting, fishing, ice skating and watching sports.

Justin A. Roberts

Justin A. Roberts

Funeral Assistant

Justin was born in Wooster, Ohio to Alex and Pam Roberts. He graduated from Wooster High School in 2021 and now attends the Ohio State University studying operations management at the Fisher School of Business. During summer time he has worked at numerous cemeteries and now works as a funeral assistant and care team specialist.


Justin enjoys lifting weights, playing golf, watching football, and spending time with friends and family. Justin enjoys playing drums at Grace Church on Sundays. He is a member of The Ohio State Athletic Band where he plays for many sporting events.

Gregory W. Roberts

Gregory W. Roberts

1957 - 2013

Greg was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and graduated from Wooster High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Management from Ashland University.


Greg and his wife Mindy lived in Wooster. He was a member of the Grace Brethren Church in Wooster. Greg was also a 25-year member of the Wooster Rotary Club where he had been an active member of the annual Antique Auction committee. Greg was a past president of the Ohio Association of Cemeteries, and past board member of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association. Greg enjoyed spending time with his family, travel, and golf.

Funeral Directors

Matt S. Milia

Matt S. Milia

Licensed Funeral Director

Matt was born in Cleveland, raised in Strongsville and graduated from Strongsville High School. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Mortuary Science from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 2005 and received his license in 2007.


Matt moved down to the Marietta area in 2015 to work for the funeral home. He resides in Vienna with his daughter Hailey and his son Maverick. They love the Marietta area and enjoy everything the Mid Ohio Valley area has to offer.

W. David Phillips

W. David Phillips

Funeral Director Apprentice/Family Service Advisor

David Phillips was born in Hamilton Ohio, but raised in Lebanon Indiana. He graduated with a Bachelor of Theology from God's Bible College in Cincinnati where he met his wife Naomi. David went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Nazarene Theological seminary. He pastored several churches in Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. David and Naomi spent over 20 years in Asia with the Church of the Nazarene. He and Naomi moved to Apple Valley to be close to family. 


David enjoys bike riding, fixing stuff, yard work, geeking out on science and energy, and reading everything he can get his hands on. He  joined Roberts Funeral Home and Mount Vernon Memorial Gardens as a Family Service Advisor early in 2022 and currently pastors a small church in Coshocton County.

Ismael A. Sanabria IV

Ismael A. Sanabria IV

Funeral Director Apprentice

Ish was born in Florida, Raised in Milan, Ohio and graduated from Edison high school. He earned an Associates of Arts Degree from the University of Toledo in 2021 & his Bachelor’s of Mortuary Sciences degree from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 2023. He is serving his apprenticeship under Jarad Roberts. 


Ish lives in Wooster and enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the gym, playing music & traveling to car shows. 


Care Team

Brittainee H. Smith

Brittainee H. Smith

Care Team Coordinator

Brittainee was born in Wooster, raised in Newark, then returned to the area and graduated from Northwestern High School. 


Brittainee and her husband, Nick, live in Wooster with their son, Lee. She is the leader of our Care Team and takes great pride in assisting with the needs of families we serve. In her leisure time you can find Brittainee volunteering in her son's classroom and adventuring in Wayne County!

Family Service Advisors

Kristi Woodward

Family Service Advisor

Kristi Woodward was born and raised in Ashland, Ohio. A 1971 graduate of Crestview High School, she then studied business management at North Central Technical Institute at the OSU branch in Mansfield, Ohio. Her first career lasted 26 years as an operator for Perkins Restaurant in Ashland. Kristi then went on to be a Realtor for 21 years, capping that career as the office manager for Howard Hanna/J. C. Meyer. In 2013, she accepted the position of Family Service Adviser for Roberts Funeral Home and Ashland County Memorial Park.


Kristi and her husband, Chet, reside in Ashland County with their Yorkie, Bella. They are members of Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah and have five grown children, 16 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, in which Kristi became a Certified Master Gardener in 2000. She also loves to do machine embroidery and sewing, cooking, canning and raising chickens.

Joshua Heiney

Family Service Advisor

Joshua was born in Ravenna, Ohio and relocated to Creston, Ohio at a young age. He is a 2001 Graduate of Norwayne High School. Following high school he served many years in the military. During his military service he was stationed in Germany and Montana as well as serving several deployments to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2021, he accepted the position of Family Service Advisor at Roberts Funeral Home and Sherwood Memorial Gardens.


Joshua and his wife Tiffany reside in Creston Ohio where he currently serves as a Councilman. They have three adult children as well as their Pit Bull, Colt. Joshua enjoys music, outdoor activities, shooting sports, horror films and dad jokes.

Ann Eckhardt

Family Service Advisor

Ann was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a graduate of Westlake High School and has been a lifelong Ohio resident.

Ann discovered her passion and joy in connecting with families from diverse backgrounds through her years of customer-centered service, community outreach and continuing education.

She joined Roberts Funeral Home and Sherwood Memorial Gardens in the role of Family Service Advisor in 2023.


Ann and her husband, Adam, reside in Medina County and she cherishes time spent together with her 7 adult children and 9 grandchildren. She enjoys reading great books, hiking through all seasons, true crime podcasts, coffee-fueled road trips, cycling along Lake Erie, blacksmithing, glassblowing and strange trivia facts.

Jennifer Miller

Family Service Advisor

Jennifer was born in Orrville, Ohio and was raised between Wayne County Ohio, Meigs County Ohio, and Lawrence County Kentucky. In 2004 she graduated from Orrville High School/Wayne County Career Center, where she studied Cosmetology. She then went to the University of Akron-Wayne College for medical studies, and then attended the College of Wooster where she studied Psychology and Sociology. Jennifer was a mom of one girl and four boys by the age of 29. She accepted the position of Family Service Advisor for Roberts Funeral Home and Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in 2023.


Jennifer is married to her husband Kelly, they have one Siamese cat Grayson, and two dogs Dozer and Nova. She enjoys taking walks, shopping, cleaning, movies, cooking shows, and spending time with her husband and kids. 

Sue L. Smothers

Family Service Advisor

Sue grew up in Tiffin OH. Her parents owned a Maytag store for over 60 years. Her parents were originally from Knox and Morrow Counties. Sue went to Bowling Green State University where she graduated with a B.A.C. (Bachelor of Arts and Communications). She had a double major in marketing and sales and a minor in political science. Over the course of 30 years, she trained and managed salespeople along the east coast of the United States (from Ocean City Maryland to Ft. Lauderdale FL). Sue, eventually married Henry Montgomery at age 39 and had her one and only “pride in joy”, Lacey at age 41. At that time, she decided to move back to her family’s roots in Knox County, OH. Both of her parents grew up on farms in the area. She accepted the position of Family Service Advisor for Roberts Funeral Home and Mount Vernon Memorial Gardens in 2023.


Sue lives on the lake in Apple Valley and loves to boat, fish with her husband, frequent the dog parks, and go to political events. Sue is a breast cancer survivor. She is a Christian. Sue loves to cook, travel, and pontoon. Sue had raised and trained several dogs, cats, and currently is in the continual process of training her husband, Henry.

Bria Wasson

Family Service Advisor

Bria was born in Inglewood, California. She graduated from Stow High School in 1990. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Taylor University before earning her Master of Arts in Religion degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She has served the church in several different roles including ministry to college-aged adults, women’s ministry, children’s ministry, and writing Bible studies and devotionals. 


Bria lives in Wooster with her husband, Andrew. They are learning how to be empty nesters and love spending time with their two college-aged daughters and their new son-in-law. Bria enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and doing almost anything outdoors, including pretending like she knows how to garden. In the fall of 2023, she accepted the position of Family Service Advisor at the Wooster chapel of Roberts Funeral Home and Sherwood Memorial Gardens.

Liane Gray-Starner

Family Service Advisor

Liane was born in Louisville KY. She currently resides in Marietta, OH. Liane holds degrees from Wittenberg University, Western Kentucky University, Wayne State University and Ohio University. She is a 1997 graduate of Ohio University and holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication. During her academic career she has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate level teaching a variety of courses including interpersonal conflict management, public speaking, mediation, leadership development and organizational communication. Her professional career includes consulting and training for a number of organizations including the Saturn Corporation, Saab Opel Sweden, General Motors of Europe and Astra-Zeneca. She accepted the position of Family Service Advisor for Roberts Funeral Home and East Lawn Memorial Park in September of 2023.


Liane and her husband Jeffrey reside in Marietta, where she volunteers with various non-profit organizations. Her daughter Esther is a junior at Marietta College and is majoring in secondary education. She enjoys snow skiing with her family and traveling.

Administrators

Tami Walz

Administrator

Tami was born and raised in Ashland. She graduated from Ashland High School in 1983. Tami also attended Ashland County West Holmes Career Center where she studied graphic communications. She joined Roberts Funeral Home Ashland Co. Memorial Park in 2013. She served on the board of directors for the Ashland County Humane Society and is an avid animal lover. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, sports, attending concerts and traveling.

Leslie Davis

Administrator

Leslie was born in Ocoee, Florida and graduated from West Orange High School before moving to Knox County in 2000.  She joined Mount Vernon Memorial Gardens as an administrator in 2017, and was with the company as we opened Mount Vernon Chapel.  


Leslie is married to John and they live in Fredericktown. She has two daughters, and two grandchildren. Leslie enjoys camping, motorcycle riding, and spending time with her family and friends.

Tammy Taylor

Administrator

Tammy Taylor was raised in Coolville, Ohio and Graduated from Freedom Christian School in Belpre, Ohio. She attended Mountain State College and worked in the Mental Health Field for 20 years. She spent 8 of those years with the Ohio Department of Mental Health as a Case Manager and Program Coordinator and 12 as a Program Coordinator for a Domestic Violence Shelter. In 2021, she accepted the position of Family Service Advisor for Roberts Funeral Home and East Lawn Memorial Park, in 2023 she transitioned to an administrative role.


Tammy resides in Belpre, Ohio and has 3 grown daughters and 5 grandchildren. Her daughters and grandchildren live in California, North Carolina and Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, traveling and attending Performance Art Events.

Holly Kilgore

Administrator

Holly, a native of Seville, Ohio, was born and raised in the town and completed her education at Cloverleaf High School. In May 2023, she embarked on her career with Roberts Funeral Home and Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. With 4 adult children and 8 cherished grandchildren, Holly finds great joy in the company of her family. During her leisure time, she indulges in camping and the art of creating stained glass.

Melody Grogan

Administrator

Melody was born and raised in South Carolina and graduated from Wade Hampton High School in 1988. She moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia in 2008. Melody joined Roberts Funeral Home and East Lawn Memorial Park as an

administrator in 2023.


Melody is married to Darik and they live in West Virginia. She have two grown sons, and four grandchildren, those sons and grandchildren live in South Carolina. Melody enjoys reading, listening to music gardening and spending time with her family and friends.

Alexis Brown

Administrator

Alexis was born in Medina, Ohio. She currently resides in Wooster, Ohio. Alexis graduated from Wooster High School in 2018. Shortly after graduating she enlisted in the US Army as a Military Police Officer. She spent 5 years in Fort Bliss TX (El Paso) for the Army and achieved the rank of Sergeant. Shortly after leaving the Army, Alexis joined Roberts Funeral Home Sherwood in June 2023. She has an Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice and is currently working on her bachelors in Biology at University of Akron-Wayne College. 


Alexis has a furball named Chastity that was rescued from the El Paso Humane society. She enjoys going to concerts, music, reading, sarcastic comments and dry humor. 

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