Lisa Roberts, of rural Fayette, passed away Monday night, October 7, 2024, at Gunderson Palmer Lutheran Hospital in West Union, unexpectedly after a brief illness. She was 60 years old. Lisa was the Emergency Management Director for Fayette County as well as a member of the Fayette Ambulance Service, Arlington Ambulance Service, and Wadena First Responders. Visitation will be held on Saturday October 19, 2024, from 1:00 PM-6:00 PM with a Celebration Of Life Service to follow at 6:00 PM at the West Union Events Center. Lisa gave as generously in death, as she did in life, by donating through the Iowa Donor Network. Memorials may be directed to the family for a later designation.
Lisa and her identical twin sister Kelli were born March 18, 1964 in Oelwein to James and Carol Nielsen. She went to Oelwein High School, graduating in 1982. Lisa met Randy Roberts and were united in marriage August 6th of 1983 in Oelwein. They had two children: Justin and Amber.
After establishing her family, Lisa attended Upper Iowa University and even served as Student Assistant Coach for the Upper Iowa Peacocks Women’s Basketball Team. She also coached girls’ basketball at the middle and high school level, both at Central of Elkader and Sumner High School.
Lisa lived life to the fullest, always giving of herself and her time, as evidenced by her years spent as a First Responder and Emergency Management Director. When the pager rang, she and Randy would be one of the first on scene no matter the hour, the day, or the weather.
She took pride in her family, her bonus children, lovingly referred to as “Mamma Lisa”, her job, her county, and her emergency agencies, always helping however and whenever she could. She leaves an amazing legacy of service to Fayette County.
Left to cherish her memory is her husband of 41 years, Randall Roberts of Fayette; her son Justin Roberts of Cedar Rapids and her daughter Amber (Sean) Chopard of rural Fayette; her two grandchildren: Alyssa and Braydan Kleinlein; her three step-grandchildren: Aiden, Adlei, and Alexa Chopard; her mother Carol Nielsen of Oelwein; her twin sister Kelli Mochal of Hazleton, sister Angie Nielsen of Oelwein, sister Beth Nielsen of Oelwein, sister Kim Nielsen of Oelwein, brother Shawn Nielsen of Oelwein, and brother Gary Nielsen of New York; her sister-in-law Carol (Art) Siviter of Hiawatha, Connie (Larry) Meyer of Strawberry Point; as well as a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Lisa was preceded in death by her father James Nielsen of Oelwein; her father-in-law Dale Roberts of Fayette; her mother-in-law Gerri Roberts of Fayette; her brother-in-law Doug Mochal of Hazleton; and a number of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
In honor of Lisa’s memory and years of service, let her legacy serve as an example of giving back to your community and find a way to volunteer or help out.
