Obituary for Roberta L. McNamara
Roberta (Chiavetta) McNamara, 78, sadly passed away on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, after a short illness.
She was born Roberta Leah Chiavetta in 1943 to Helen (Harris) and Kenneth Chiavetta. Her childhood was spent in the Columbus and Cleveland areas of Ohio; Elkins, West Virginia; Asheville and Lenoir, North Carolina, plus Greenbelt, Maryland as the family followed her father’s work as a wildlife biologist. She attended the University of Maryland and there met and later married Michael F. McNamara on Valentine’s Day, 1965. Motherhood followed soon after with the birth of their son, Douglas, followed closely by another son, Kenneth. She was an active member of the Greenbelt, MD and Richmond, VA communities during their childhood, serving multiple terms as a North End Elementary's PTA board member as well as a term as president. She put her significant writing skills to use as a volunteer writer and editor at the Greenbelt News Review as well as serving terms as its Business Manager and Vice President. She additionally wrote for the “Reflector”, a publication produced for the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.
She was married to Michael for 33 years before he suddenly passed away in 1998.
In her later years in the Baltimore County community, she was a dedicated member of the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville. Her participation included Church Council member, Worship Life Committee, Pastor Asendorf's Mutual Ministry Committee, Guardians of Eden, leading the Maundy Thursday Luncheon and was long-time member of the Book Group.
A lifelong learner, she took great interest in discussing current events with her grandchildren and greatly valued hearing their insights and thoughts. They have very fond memories of going with her and other church members out on a boat into the Chesapeake with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to assess the health of the Bay and wonder at the life in the water. She had an uncanny knack for remembering who had an interest in what and always remembered that in her conversations and birthday gifts.
She was predeceased by her parents Helen & Kenneth Chiavetta and husband Michael F. McNamara and is survived by sister Rebecca Swartz of Crofton, MD, son Douglas McNamara of Catonsville, MD, son Kenneth McNamara and daughter-in-law Dana, grandchildren Leah and Michael, all of Arlington, VA, and niece Kristi Swartz, of Atlanta, GA.
The family will receive friends on Monday, May 16, 2022, from 6 to 8 PM at Eline Funeral Home in Reisterstown, MD. A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville, MD. Following the service, the congregation will proceed to St. John's Cemetery in Ellicott City, MD for the internment. Immediately after internment, the group is invited to a luncheon that will be given back at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville, MD.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in her memory be made to the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church (General Fund).
She was born Roberta Leah Chiavetta in 1943 to Helen (Harris) and Kenneth Chiavetta. Her childhood was spent in the Columbus and Cleveland areas of Ohio; Elkins, West Virginia; Asheville and Lenoir, North Carolina, plus Greenbelt, Maryland as the family followed her father’s work as a wildlife biologist. She attended the University of Maryland and there met and later married Michael F. McNamara on Valentine’s Day, 1965. Motherhood followed soon after with the birth of their son, Douglas, followed closely by another son, Kenneth. She was an active member of the Greenbelt, MD and Richmond, VA communities during their childhood, serving multiple terms as a North End Elementary's PTA board member as well as a term as president. She put her significant writing skills to use as a volunteer writer and editor at the Greenbelt News Review as well as serving terms as its Business Manager and Vice President. She additionally wrote for the “Reflector”, a publication produced for the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.
She was married to Michael for 33 years before he suddenly passed away in 1998.
In her later years in the Baltimore County community, she was a dedicated member of the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville. Her participation included Church Council member, Worship Life Committee, Pastor Asendorf's Mutual Ministry Committee, Guardians of Eden, leading the Maundy Thursday Luncheon and was long-time member of the Book Group.
A lifelong learner, she took great interest in discussing current events with her grandchildren and greatly valued hearing their insights and thoughts. They have very fond memories of going with her and other church members out on a boat into the Chesapeake with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to assess the health of the Bay and wonder at the life in the water. She had an uncanny knack for remembering who had an interest in what and always remembered that in her conversations and birthday gifts.
She was predeceased by her parents Helen & Kenneth Chiavetta and husband Michael F. McNamara and is survived by sister Rebecca Swartz of Crofton, MD, son Douglas McNamara of Catonsville, MD, son Kenneth McNamara and daughter-in-law Dana, grandchildren Leah and Michael, all of Arlington, VA, and niece Kristi Swartz, of Atlanta, GA.
The family will receive friends on Monday, May 16, 2022, from 6 to 8 PM at Eline Funeral Home in Reisterstown, MD. A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville, MD. Following the service, the congregation will proceed to St. John's Cemetery in Ellicott City, MD for the internment. Immediately after internment, the group is invited to a luncheon that will be given back at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville, MD.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in her memory be made to the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church (General Fund).