Willie Ben Roby

Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well.

Willie Ben Roby was born April 14, 1938 in Attala County Mississippi.  He was the oldest child born from the union of D. L. Roby and Mary Lee McClaurin Roby.He had two siblings born to this union, Joe Willie Roby and Lavelle Roby. He had three half-siblings born of his father’s second marriage, Murry Roby, L. C. Roby and Dorothy (Willis) Smith. He passed away January 12, 2025 in Oxnard, California. In 1955 he joined the Army at 17 and served until1958. After being discharge from the Army he married Willie Ruth and they  had one son, Christopher Parnell.  He adopted Ruth’s young son Gregg. He relocated to Chicago where he worked for Zenith for more than 30 years.

He was a devoted son, caring brother, patient father and generous grandfather.

He was a proud, independent man.  He continued to live alone at the age of 86 until six months prior

to his death when he moved to California to live with his sister, Lavelle.

Family was very important to him.  While he had many health challenges since 2012 and wasn’t able to continue to drive to family reunions he looked forward to visits from family and friends.

He leaves a devoted sister Lavelle Roby, a brother Murry Roby, sister Dorothy (Willis) Smith, granddaughter Tina Coleman, granddaughter

Chanda Roby and her two siblings, grandson Chris McDonald, Mike McDonald, Marco McDonald, Donzell McDonald and granddaughter, Serena McDonald.

Poceeded in death by his father D.L. Roby, mother, Mary Lee Mosley, brother Joe Willie Roby, and son Christopher Parnell Roby.

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