Obituary
Edward Bowling Roberts, Jr., known as E.B., died at the age of 79 on October 26, 2023, at the Hock Family Pavilion in Durham, North Carolina. E.B., the son of Edward Bowling Roberts, Sr. and Inez M. Jeffries, was born in Mebane and grew up in Hillsborough and Bahama. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his nephew, Trent Hamm.
E.B. is survived by his wife, Suzanne, of Durham; daughter, Kimberley R. Darby (Chris); granddaughter, Annabelle Darby; sister, Phyllis Hamm (Rodney); and nieces, Tiffany Hall (Ken) and Leslie Maudlin (Doug). He is also survived by his parents-in-law, Gary and Claire Marlar; sister-in-law, Linda Dunn; nephews-in-law, Miles Dunn (Laura) and Chris Dunn (Catherine); and beloved dog, Sophie.
E.B. graduated from Durham’s Northern High School in 1963. After high school he worked as a welder at Miller Manufacturing in Durham. In June 1965 E.B. visited the local draft board and found out he would soon be drafted into the Army, so he headed straight to the Air Force recruiter’s office and signed up. He ended up going to Vietnam, where he served as a radar technician. E.B. served over three years in the U.S. Air Force.
After his military service E.B. returned to Miller Manufacturing until he was hired to work at the Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park (EPA-RTP). He started working in the shop as a sheet metal welder and moved up through the ranks, following his father’s advice to keep his head down, keep his mouth shut, and work hard. While working at EPA, E.B. attended night school at Durham Technical Community College, graduating in 1979 with an A.A. in Business Administration.
E.B. ended his long career at EPA-RTP as the Facilities Manager, overseeing operations and maintenance, security, and grounds and cafeteria operations. E.B. was the person you called when you needed something done, and just about everyone at EPA-RTP knew him or knew of him. E.B. loved having fun while working hard and enjoyed playing good-natured pranks on his co-workers and friends.
E.B. and Suzanne enjoyed traveling around the world together and with friends. Some of E.B.’s favorite trips included Turkey, where he found the people warm and hospitable, and Kenya, where he had an unexpected encounter with a young hippo! He also enjoyed traveling to Napa Valley, Yellowstone National Park, the Virgin Islands, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Portugal, Eastern Europe, and China. He loved opportunities to meet and interact with locals while traveling, and those experiences made for some truly memorable trips.
A true Southerner, E.B. loved gravy biscuits, barbecue, sweet tea, and banana pudding. He was a kind, gentle, thoughtful man who always helped his family and friends in any way he could. To say he will be greatly missed is an understatement.
Suzanne and E.B. would like to acknowledge the love and support they received from family and friends during E.B.’s illness. They would also like to acknowledge the excellent hospice care E.B. received at the Hock Family Pavilion. The staff was caring and considerate and treated E.B., his family, and his friends with respect and dignity during his stay.
Endswell Aquamation in Hillsborough is handling the cremation. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hock Family Pavilion (https://www.givetodukeathome.
