Henry Harlan Roberts, 83, of Kennett Square, known as “Rick” and “Coach,” died Tuesday, Nov. 28.
Rick was born on Aug. 30, 1940, in Buenos Aires, Argentina to the late Kenneth Shelley and Grace Chardy Roberts. Rick’s father had been transferred by the DuPont Company from Kennett Square to Argentina and the family was living in Buenos Aires at the time of his birth. He attended a Spanish/English school where his name Henry was translated to Enrique, and thus the family began calling him Rick, or Ricky. When he was 10 years old, the Roberts family moved back to Kennett Square.
He was a 1959 graduate of Kennett High School where he and his twin brother Kenny were stand-out athletes in baseball, basketball and soccer. Rick attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., where he played the same three sports at the collegiate level and was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.
Following graduation from Hartwick, Rick began a 34-year teaching career. First at Stetson Middle School and East Junior High, and then for 23 years at West Chester East High School where he was a beloved American history and world history teacher. He loved teaching just as much as his students loved his engaging learning style in the classroom. He especially enjoyed coaching the varsity boys basketball team at WC East, leading the team to a multitude of winning seasons, and leaving a lasting positive impression of sportsmanship on his players. After retiring from coaching, he used his impressive photography skills to take pictures for WC East’s athletic teams.
Rick is survived by his daughter Amy Roberts Patroni (Jonathan), son Henry “Rick” Harlan Roberts, Jr (Tori), granddaughters Kendal and Cassidy Roberts, Gracie Patroni, and grandson Brett Patroni. He was predeceased in death by his twin brother and best friend Ken Roberts in 2022, and his sister Shelley Jones in 2021. He is also predeceased by his wife Anne Bernard Roberts, whom he was married to from 1969 until her death in 1988. He married Roxanne K. Roberts in 1988 and they were together until 2009, at which time they separated, but remained close friends until the time of his death. Rick also enjoyed close relationships with his extended family and loved family holiday get-togethers. He missed his twin brother Ken every day since his death on their 82nd birthday last year, and the family is comforted to think of them together again.
Rick was a member at the Kennett Square Golf and Country Club, and it was a very important part of his life. He could quite often be found laughing with his friends in the 19th Hole or rooting for a Phillies or Eagles game there. “Coach” made many close friends at the Kennett Country Club, and it truly was his favorite place to be. He was proud to have lived in Kennett Square the majority of his life and kept many lifelong friends from his Kennett High School days.
Interment for the family will be private at the Union Hill Cemetery, Kennett Square. Friends of “Coach” Rick are invited to a Service of Remembrance at the Kennett Square Golf and Country Club, 100 E. Locust Ln, Kennett Square, on Monday, Dec. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at www2.jdrf.org towards finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes for his granddaughter Gracie.
To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com
Arrangements by the Kuzo Funeral Home, Kennett Square.
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