James (Jim) Edward Roberts, age 55, passed away in his home on May 2, 2022 after a year-long courageous battle with cancer.
Jim was born in Portsmouth, VA, to Amelda (Nell) Roberts and Walter (Bob) Roberts. Jim’s family moved often during his father’s career in the U.S. Navy but eventually made their home in Brandon, MS, where Jim graduated high school.
After graduating from Millsaps College with a B.S. in Physics, Jim went on to earn an additional B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech. During a Christmas college break Jim met his future wife, Myra Jeanne Burchfield. They were married and had two children, Will and Judith, who were two of his biggest blessings and brought him such joy. Jim was a loving husband and dad and truly enjoyed just being in the presence of his family watching baseball, Lord of the Rings or the New Orleans Saints. He was also actively involved in his children’s lives and activities, especially Boy Scout Troop 201 and its Venture Crew.
Jim began his career in Mississippi working for a small computer company. Soon thereafter, he was offered and accepted a job in Atlanta, but returned to Mississippi after a few years. He eventually was given an opportunity at a company in Austin, TX, which became home to his family. Jim furthered his engineering career working for various technology companies in the Austin area and ultimately was employed by AMD, leading a team of firmware engineers whom he considered more than just coworkers. He was considered a friend to many and will be deeply missed.
Jim was known to have a deep desire to help others and a willingness to jump in and tackle any task or debug. He would not stop until there was a solution to a problem. Jim absolutely loved all camping and hiking and wanted others to participate and enjoy it as much as he did – always looking for the most current tent, sleeping bag/pad or lighter backpack. He enjoyed the mountains, along with just about any state park.
Jim had a very quick wit and dry sense of humor. His thirst for knowledge of so many subjects was amazing. He had played the violin earlier in life and had recently begun playing again. He would also study different languages in his spare time.
Jim will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 29 years, Myra Burchfield Roberts; children, Will Roberts and Judith Roberts; mother, Nell Roberts; sister, Stephanie Roberts; mother in law, Dorothy (Dot) Burchfield; and brother in law, Dennis Burchfield.
Jim was predeceased by his father, Walter Roberts; father in law, William R. Burchfield; and his grandparents, Oma and Sid Cruthirds.
A celebration of life will take place on May 20 at 10:30 am, at Austin Christian Fellowship, 6401 River Place Blvd, Austin, TX 78730.
In Lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/), Simple Promise Farms/Ranch House Recovery (simplepromisefarms.org) or the charity of your choice.