John Roberts was born in Marion, Ohio, in 1921. He graduated from Marion High School and then attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1944 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In junior high, John began dating Betty Williams, and eventually, the couple married in 1944 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Together, they had five children, Anne, Charles, Tom, Nancy, and Frank.

During World War II, John was a naval officer in the Pacific. After the war, he worked at DeKalb Agricultural Association and held various positions, which moved the family to locations in Ohio, Indiana, Canada, and finally, DeKalb in 1964. John and his family were among the original members of the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Over the years, he served in many different leadership positions. He played a pivotal role in developing Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center and was on their board of directors for many years. In 2003, Oak Crest honored John with the Good Samaritan Award. He was chairman of the board of trustees for Kishwaukee College for 25 of the 26 years he served on the board. In 2008, he was named the Illinois Outstanding Trustee by the Illinois Life Services Network.

After John’s passing in 2008, the John and Betty Roberts Community Foundation Administrative Fund was established. The Fund provides an annual distribution to the operating Fund of the DeKalb County Community Foundation to help support their mission and services through staffing and other resources. The original donation was amplified with a dollar-for-dollar match from the Grand Victoria Foundation, which partnered with the Community Foundation to create the CommunityWorks and Administrative Endowment Fund initiatives.