Roberta S. Shaw

Roberta S. Shaw, age 82, passed away at her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico following a brief illness.

Roberta was born in Temple, Texas on February 7, 1943, but spent her childhood living and growing up on a farm in northern Richland County, Ohio, near Mansfield. She attended Mansfield City Schools and graduated from Mansfield Senior High School. Following that, she obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, and from there attended the University of Texas where she earned her MA in Psychology.

She began her early career working for Pacific Bell Telephone in San Francisco, California before relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1973. Roberta spent the remainder of her career working for the State of New Mexico as a data and systems analyst and legislative liaison in various departments including Children and Youth and Family Services and The Commission for the Blind before retiring in 2006. After her retirement, she dedicated some of her free time to helping local charitable organizations she cared about volunteering and sharing her expertise in grant writing, most especially with The Food Depot.

Roberta was a voracious reader and consumer of books, a history buff, and an avid traveler both domestically and abroad, including several trips to Russia prior to the war in Ukraine. She was also a lover of animals. Roberta trained and showed Arabian horses and participated in dressage competitions across the Southwestern states. She rescued many dogs from shelters in New Mexico and Texas over the years, the most recent being her Aussie cattle dog, Oakley.

Roberta was preceded in death by her parents, Donald E. and Susan P. Smith, and a brother, Chiron W. Smith, and sister-in-law, Cheryl R. Smith. She is survived by a brother, Timothy S. Smith, and sister-in-law, Diane L. Smith, both of Mansfield, Ohio. Also surviving are many faithful friends but most especially James Cacias, John Rochester, Wes Watkins, Michael Rafter and Gabrielle Nelson, whose care for and devotion to her were exemplary,

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Rivera Family Funeral home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A gathering commemorating Roberta’s life will be held in Santa Fe at a date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Espanola Valley Animal Center, Espanola, New Mexico.