Roberts and Son Funeral Home - A Legacy of Service

On April 15, 2026, Roberts and Son Funeral Home entered a new chapter as Michael McElyea and the Tommy Pameticky family proudly assumed ownership.

The story of the funeral home begins with J.R. Roberts, the son of a farmer who chose a different path early in life. In 1921, before reaching the age of twenty-one, he graduated from the Williams Institute of Embalming in Kansas City, Kansas.

He began his career with the Gill firm in Wichita, Kansas, where he worked until 1922. He then moved to Norman, Oklahoma, and was employed by the I.E. Jackson Funeral Home until 1928. On August 1, 1928, J.R. Roberts, alongside his wife Leona, opened Roberts Mortuary by acquiring the Estes and Schorr operation located at 118 East Blackwell Avenue.

Leona worked closely with her husband as a lady assistant. The business began with a 1928 Kissell combination ambulance and hearse, available at any hour, day or night. On November 1, 1932, the Roberts Burial Association was added to the services offered.

In 1943, J.R. purchased the former Buellesfeld home, remodeled it, and relocated the funeral home to its current location at 120 West Padon. To assist servicemen returning from World War II, the funeral home rehired three veterans under the GI Bill for training.

After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Bob W. Roberts joined his father’s business, completing his apprenticeship in Blackwell and graduating from the Williams Institute of Embalming. In 1950, another son, Jim Roberts, joined the firm after graduating from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science. Jim remained until 1963, when he moved to Purcell to operate the Conner-Roberts Funeral Home with his father-in-law.

On July 11, 1968, a newly completed chapel was dedicated in a service led by the Blackwell Ministerial Alliance. Following the tragic death of Bob in 1970, Jim and his wife Betty returned to Blackwell and purchased the funeral home and ambulance service. Due to government regulations and rising costs, the ambulance service was discontinued on November 1, 1974.

For several years, the funeral home also provided a private, oxygen-equipped air transport service for patients traveling across the continental United States. In 1996, Jim and Betty expanded their services by purchasing the Blackwell IOOF Cemetery, which had been owned by the IOOF Lodge for 102 years. A nonprofit corporation was later formed, and the cemetery was eventually sold in 2024.

In 1989, Jamie Roberts Edington (then Strahorn) joined the firm after earning her bachelor’s degree in Mortuary Science. She worked at the funeral home until 2003, when she transitioned to a career in public education, while continuing to assist the family business when needed.

In 1996, James W. Roberts III and his wife Susan moved to Blackwell and continued the family tradition after both earning bachelor’s degrees in Mortuary Science. Betty Roberts remained active in the funeral home following Jim’s passing in 1999 and continued working until the death of her son Jimmy in 2025. She now resides in Texas near her daughters, Jan Marshall and Jamie Edington.

Susan Roberts lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with her son Vic. Michael McElyea began working for the Roberts family in 2004. After relocating to Norman in 2015, he continued assisting the funeral home on a contingency basis. In 2025, following the passing of James W. Roberts III, he returned to Blackwell to serve as manager.

The Roberts family expresses heartfelt gratitude to the many families and communities they have served over the past ninety-eight years. It has been an honor to be trusted during life’s most difficult moments. Michael McElyea now leads Roberts and Son Funeral Home, continuing the legacy of dedication that J.R. Roberts began in 1928.