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Stanley Dean Roberts (1933 – 2011)

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Stanley "Stan" Dean Roberts, Age 78, passed away on November 15, 2011. As bishop of the San Francisco Singles Ward (1984-1989), he pioneered a more open attitude toward LDS LGBT people, who were in the 1980s a significant percentage of his ward. Stan is remembered for his support of the San Francisco Singles Ward LDS AIDS Project and a ward home evening group for LGBT people unofficially known as The Far Side.

"I think it's far more important to be a pastor than be[ing] an administrator because pastoring is really what touches people's lives," Stan said in an interview with Sunstone magazine in 1990. "We need to be trained to be better pastors. It's interesting, if you have a pastoring problem it takes a long time to get help. But if there's a mistake on your tithing report you get faster reaction. We need immediate reactions on pastoring people, too."

Stan was born and raised in San Mateo, CA, graduated from San Mateo High School, attended the College of San Mateo and Brigham Young University. With his entrepreneurial spirit he founded and ran a number of companies, including RobertsSpray and Roberts Industries. He served his community as a member and President of the East Palo Alto Rotary Club, and as a member and President of the Belmont Unified School District. He was an active member of the LDS Church, and served in several leadership and teaching positions, including Bishop of the Belmont Ward, Bishop of the San Francisco Singles Ward, and as a Seminary and LDS Institute Instructor.

Stan was an avid do-it-yourselfer and he loved boating and water skiing. He will be missed by his wife of 59 years Frances Roberts, daughters Cathy (Brad Jenkins), Shelley (Ron Crouse), and Carmen (Chris Taylor), and sons Dean (Carrie), Mark (Diedre) and Matt (Joyce), 19 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, sister Marion (Harry Gardiser), and sister-in-law Sarah, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

Memorial service at 1:30 pm on Monday, November 21, LDS Chapel, 89 Scholar Way, Folsom, CA.

In lieu of Flowers, please make donations to:

ReSurge International (formerly Interplast)
857 Maude Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043

or

Humanitarian Services
c/o LDS Philanthropies
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
15 E. South Temple St. #2E
Salt Lake City, UT 84150

Tribute by Marty Beaudet:

Stan was a kind and humble man who changed many lives for the better as bishop of the San Francisco LDS Singles Ward, especially the dozens of gay men who found refuge there during his tenure. I will always remember him fondly.