Gary Thaine Roberts

Gary Thaine Roberts, 86, of Racine, passed away peacefully after a short illness on Friday, July 25, 2025. His daughters were by his side.

Gary was born to Hobson and Bess (Helms) Roberts on April 10, 1939, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Gary earned his Bachelors of Science in Journalism from Western Kentucky University in 1962. After working as a high school teacher in Meade County, Kentucky, Gary married Sandra Roberts on December 20, 1964. They later moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised two children.

After working in various roles in the construction industry, Gary entered the sales field. He and Sandra moved to Springfield, Illinois, to sell used heavy construction equipment for Roland Machinery. During his time at Roland Machinery, he found he had a gift for sales, and he was promoted to head up a new branch of the business, which led to another move to Racine, Wisconsin.

Throughout his life, Gary had a passion for horses. In 1957, at the age of 17, he was the Champion of the Florida Sunshine Circuit while riding Starfire, and his horse Mr. Wonderful was the World’s Grand Champion 5-Gaited Pony. He also participated in standardbred horse racing. Even after he changed careers, he continued to attend horse shows and watch races on television.

Gary’s other passion was travel, which meshed well with his second career in sales. He traveled to England twice and visited nearly every part of the country, ranging from Northern California to New Orleans to the coast of Maine. One of his biggest trips and proudest moments was when he took Sandra and their daughters to Lambeau Field so they could watch the Green Bay Packers play in person.

Gary is survived by his two daughters, Caroline Roberts of Massachusetts and Lee Roberts of New Jersey; and 2 beloved grandchildren, James and Isla Dortch.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Sandra.

At the wishes of the family, a small service will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the American Diabetes Association or Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.