Dr. James R. (Jim) Roberts, 79, formerly of Germantown, MD, and Dowell, MD, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2016, at his home in Vero Beach, FL, surrounded by his family.

Jim is survived by his wife of 56 years, Geraldine Roberts; their daughter, Karen Roberts and her husband, John Fiala of Natick, MA; their son, Greg Roberts of Germantown, MD; and their son, Paul Roberts and his wife, Patricia Smith of Los Gatos, CA; and six grandchildren: Alex Chaconas, Andrew Chaconas, Bayley Roberts, Wylloh Roberts, Scarlett Roberts, and Sullivan Roberts. He is also survived by his sister Frances Zick and her husband, Larry Zick of Greenville, MI.

Born July 1, 1937, in Flint, MI, Jim was raised in Michigan and spent most of his childhood at Houghton Lake. In 1955, he graduated from Houghton Lake High School. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. degree in physics in 1959, a Master's degree in physics in 1961, and a Ph.D. in physics in 1963. After receiving his Ph.D. in physics, he started his career at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD, as a research physicist. He retired in 1999 after a 35-year career.

Jim was a passionate fly fisherman; he tied his own flies, dyed his own feathers, and made some of his own rods. He traveled widely to fish in waters in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Bahamas and Costa Rica. He was an organic gardener, beekeeper, and woodworker.

A Celebration of Life for the family will be held at a later date. Anyone wishing to send the family a message or share a story is asked to visit Jim's memorial page at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.