Who was Roberta Szpara? She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a cherished daughter, a beloved sister, and a treasured friend…but she was so much more than that. She was beautiful and vivacious woman with a big personality who loved to laugh and have fun. She was the first person out on the dance floor when her “jam” came on. She sent the best birthday cards. She started kindergarten when she was 4 years old and had 2 eye surgeries as a young child. She enjoyed when her mom would read to her when she was little, which began her lifelong love affair with books. She loved her hometown of Brentwood, PA – where most of her lifelong friends were from. She married her husband, Brandon, from that hometown who, coincidentally, she “dated” in the 2nd grade. She met her best friend in 7th grade, and they remained best friends for the next 31 years. She was a cheerleader in high school. She thought her dad was the smartest person in the world. She graduated from Slippery Rock University. She was over the moon when she had her first child, a son named Evan. In a rare moment of silence, she was too stunned to speak when her and Brandon found out they were going to have twin girls, Brynn and Blake, a few years later. She loved the Dave Matthews Band. Her favorite color was grey. If there was buffalo chicken on the menu, she would order it. She loved the 4th of July. Her guilty pleasures were peanut M&Ms, Lifetime movies, and MTV reality shows and her favorite movie was The Karate Kid. She enjoyed camping with her family. She preferred red wine over white wine. She had many friends from all different stages in her life, and if she liked you, you knew it. If she didn’t, you probably knew that, too. She was the life of every party and she made EVERYTHING more fun.
Her cancer was initially discovered in 2008 when she was 32 years old. Diagnosed with early Stage II breast cancer, she underwent the standard treatment protocol: chemotherapy, surgery, radiation. She enjoyed almost seven years being cancer-free – soaring past the 5 year “all clear” marker. Unfortunately, remission isn’t guaranteed to everyone, and in 2016, a biopsy confirmed that her cancer had returned. Despite being diagnosed with a terminal illness, she never stopped living and she never stopped trying to stay alive.
We lost our sweet girl on September 22, 2019, but she lives on – in her son’s strong resolve and her daughters’ love of dance and cheer, in the lessons she taught us about perseverance and having grace in the face of adversity, in the memories she helped create throughout her too-short life, and in the love that remains in the hearts of those of us who were lucky enough to be a part of her world.
Roberta Thomas Szpara
December 20, 1976 – September 22, 2019
Who was Roberta Szpara? She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a cherished daughter, a beloved sister, and a treasured friend…but she was so much more than that. She was beautiful and vivacious woman with a big personality who loved to laugh and have fun. She was the first person out on the dance floor when her “jam” came on. She sent the best birthday cards. She started kindergarten when she was 4 years old and had 2 eye surgeries as a young child. She enjoyed when her mom would read to her when she was little, which began her lifelong love affair with books. She loved her hometown of Brentwood, PA – where most of her lifelong friends were from. She married her husband, Brandon, from that hometown who, coincidentally, she “dated” in the 2nd grade. She met her best friend in 7th grade, and they remained best friends for the next 31 years. She was a cheerleader in high school. She thought her dad was the smartest person in the world. She graduated from Slippery Rock University. She was over the moon when she had her first child, a son named Evan. In a rare moment of silence, she was too stunned to speak when her and Brandon found out they were going to have twin girls, Brynn and Blake, a few years later. She loved the Dave Matthews Band. Her favorite color was grey. If there was buffalo chicken on the menu, she would order it. She loved the 4th of July. Her guilty pleasures were peanut M&Ms, Lifetime movies, and MTV reality shows and her favorite movie was The Karate Kid. She enjoyed camping with her family. She preferred red wine over white wine. She had many friends from all different stages in her life, and if she liked you, you knew it. If she didn’t, you probably knew that, too. She was the life of every party and she made EVERYTHING more fun.
Her cancer was initially discovered in 2008 when she was 32 years old. Diagnosed with early Stage II breast cancer, she underwent the standard treatment protocol: chemotherapy, surgery, radiation. She enjoyed almost seven years being cancer-free – soaring past the 5 year “all clear” marker. Unfortunately, remission isn’t guaranteed to everyone, and in 2016, a biopsy confirmed that her cancer had returned. Despite being diagnosed with a terminal illness, she never stopped living and she never stopped trying to stay alive.
We lost our sweet girl on September 22, 2019, but she lives on – in her son’s strong resolve and her daughters’ love of dance and cheer, in the lessons she taught us about perseverance and having grace in the face of adversity, in the memories she helped create throughout her too-short life, and in the love that remains in the hearts of those of us who were lucky enough to be a part of her world.