GODFREY - After a lifetime of service to the Village of Godfrey, Bertha “Bert” Roberts was honored with a street dedicated in her memory.
On Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, Roberts’s family gathered on Pearl Street in Godfrey for the unveiling of a new sign that declares the street to be “Bert Roberts Memorial Drive.” Roberts, Godfrey’s first Public Works Director, passed away in March 2023 at the age of 94.
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“Bert was a great lady,” Mayor Mike McCormick said during the dedication ceremony. “Her name will still be out there.”
Roberts’s husband, Lloyd “Jack” Roberts, served as the Highway Commissioner of Godfrey Township until his passing in 1986. Roberts filled the remainder of his term and was then reelected. Godfrey Township became a village in 1991, and the Board of Trustees appointed Roberts as the village’s first Public Works Director in 1993. She stayed in this role until her retirement in 1998.
Throughout her career, Roberts worked on many beautification projects in Godfrey. She was a member of the Godfrey Women’s Club and served on the board of the Godfrey Cemetery Association. Her family said this work meant a lot to her, and she frequently spoke of it in the months before her passing.
“She was very proud of her community involvement in the street department and with the beautification in Godfrey,” said Nicole Lampert, Roberts’s granddaughter. “It’s a good way to honor her memory and her service to the community. It was such a big part of her life.”
The decision to dedicate Pearl Street was an easy one. Roberts, Lampert and their family lived off Pearl Street for many years. Additionally, the current Public Works Department building is housed in the Roberts Building at 6212 Godfrey Road, named for Roberts and located at the intersection of Godfrey Road and Pearl Street.
“It was just a really big part of her life,” Lampert said. “So this is really important to my family and, I think, a good honorary thing for her.”
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