Laurie Roberts, Goddess of the Airwaves.

At Laurie Roberts’ “Celebration of Life”, master of ceremonies duties was handled by 98.5 KFOX radio personality Chris Jackson.

The program included tributes by Laurie’s close friends, colleagues, charitable organizations that she supported and fellow radio personalities; and musical tributes by The Coffis Brothers, Kelly Cox-Quayle & Tom Quayle and Greg Kihn with Robert Berry.

By Janet Herrington

Laurel Anne Roberts.  Goddess of the Airwaves. Queenie. Blender Sister. All that and more. The Great Laurie Roberts was my best friend.

Laurie wrote the San Ramon Valley High School Teen Times column for the local newspaper The Valley Pioneer, and I went to the rival high school across town.  She always contended that I gave her the cold shoulder at a one of those parties that teenagers throw when their parents are out of town, and 50 years later I still say, “no I didn’t”. That is how you lay the groundwork for a solid friendship.

As fate would have it, we both ended up at Chico State in the broadcasting department. I can picture the classroom where we decided on our first radio project together – interviewing the owner of the legendary Helen’s Donuts. We quickly became good friends – partnering on what we thought were brilliant projects for our film and television production classes, working at both campus radio stations and mastering the fine art of blended beverages.  Chico classmates, you know that to be true.

After graduation we stuck around town, and both worked at the local FM commercial rocker. But Chico was soon too small for a talent as big as Laurie’s, so she was off to the Bay Area, landing at KOME, where she most definitely belonged.  KOMEKrew – you know that to be true.

Several years later, after she was firmly ensconced at the station, she recommended me for a programming assistant job, which I landed. I also landed the boss, who became my husband and the father of my two children. Indeed, I have Laurie to thank for the most significant part of my life.

She was a friend to the Bay Area radio listening audience for decades. She knew what it meant to connect, to be a friend, not just “broadcast”. It wasn’t a job to her; it was everything to her. What everyone heard through their radio speakers was the real Laurie.

Beyond the public persona and Bay Area legend, to me she was just a friend. The best kind. Never conditional. Always caring and full of compliments. Always insisting on fun. “We’re going to play this trivia game when we drive down to visit Claudia in LA”. “So, this Saturday we are meeting here at this time, everyone’s coming– you bring a salad.” “Hey, this Boulder Creek Art and Wine Festival needs to be seen to be believed” And so we did, and made it an annual outing, with our own twist, for many years.  It’s hard to believe that we’re all here, and she isn’t.

She was always sharing some new place she went to, experience she had, and people she had met. She was never selfish with her celebrity status, and the doors that it opened. Concerts. Backstage passes. Giants spring training in Arizona. Charity events. She generously shared it with her friends.

We had so many inside jokes and sayings no one else will ever understand or appreciate. I’ll have them always, here, in my heart. And if I ever say something nonsensical, just humor me and know that if Laurie was there, she would get it.

She was the best giver of gifts – always something unique and incredibly thoughtful, often for no reason. But clearly the best gift was her friendship. And the friends she shared with me.