Gary Preston "Press" Roberts

Gary Preston “Press” Roberts, Sr. Obituary Gary Preston “Press” Roberts, Sr., 99, died suddenly on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, as a result of a tractor accident while farming. The funeral service will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at First Baptist Church of Chester with the Reverend Clay Waldrip officiating. Interment will follow in Beaver Creek Baptist Church Cemetery with full Military Honors and Masonic Rites. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00pm on Friday, May 12, 2023, at Barron Funeral Home. Born on November 19, 1923, Mr. Roberts was a son of the late Jessie Marie Wagers Roberts and John Elbert Roberts, Sr. He was a graduate of Blackstock High School. A veteran of the Second World War, Mr. Roberts served in the Army Signal Corps in the pacific theater in the Philippines and later saw service after WW2 in Korea. The owner and operator of Roberts Oil Company for more than 30 years, he also was on the Board of Directors for the local BBT bank. Mr. Roberts was a member of the Agoga Sunday School Class at First Baptist Church, the Chester Lions Club, the American Legion, and the Big Buck Club. He was a Mason and a Shriner. Active in the Republican Party throughout his life, Mr. Roberts was a long-time close friend of former U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond and served as his county Campaign Manager for many years. Mr. Roberts, or “Paws” to his grandchildren and their many friends, loved singing and music, especially old-time gospel, bluegrass, and country music, and was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed farming, fishing, and hunting. He was a founder of the Chester Quail Hunters Association and was Field Trial Champion with many different and beloved bird dogs. Just weeks ago, Mr. Roberts was featured by the National Wild Turkey Federation and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources with the turkey he killed on opening day. A member of First Baptist Church in Chester, Mr. Roberts deeply loved his family, his many friends of all ages and backgrounds, his community, his country, and his God. Surviving are one son, Gary P. Roberts Jr. (Susan) of York; three daughters, Sandra R. Stroman (Jim) of Chester; Bess R. Thomas and Jessie R. Legaré (John), both of Columbia; eight grandchildren, Gary P. Roberts III (Melissa) of Beech Island; Brandi R. Jackson (Wayne) of Bishopville; Anna S. Rittgers (Dave) of Aiken; Preston W. Stroman (Elizabeth) of Camden; James A. Stroman of Charleston; Abigail T. Way (Reese) of Columbia; Victoria L. Thomas of Charleston; and Isabel R. Legaré of Columbia; three great-grandsons, Gary P. Roberts IV, James P. Rittgers, and Thomas A. Rittgers; two great-granddaughters, Mary A. Rittgers and Sarah H. Rittgers; one brother, Kirk L. Roberts (Marie) of Chester; one brother-in-law, Larry B. Stevenson (Nancy) of Winnsboro; and one sister-in-law, Joyce B. Clack of Chester; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers J. Wade Roberts, John E. Roberts, Jr., Edward Halsell Roberts, and Troy W. Roberts; his sisters Agnes R. Banks, Katherine “Kitty” R. Wright, Dorothy “Cissie” R. Stevenson; son-in-law Clay Bryan Thomas; and, his wife of 63 years Dellie Boulware Roberts. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 518, Chester, SC 29706, the Chester Lions Club, or Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Online condolences maybe made to the family at www.barronfuneralhome.com.