''I don't think Ralph knows any more about Brian's personal life than he knows about the others. "We would have dinner as a family. May 2, 2021 He rose to president and chief executive at Pioneer and eventually bought the company. spouse. In 1942, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do Philadelphia family. We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. Anyone can read what you share. The two said their relationship had been strengthened by having much to discuss, as each pursued separate professional interests - and also by the collaboration that developed when one asked the other for advice. Born in Trenton, Doug was a longtime Ewing resident. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. In a statement, Mayor Michael Nutter remembered the business visionary and family man. "His vision was always to create a little IBM," Rudnay said. It's been a real pleasure for the whole family," he said in 1999. He was 95. He had resided in Leesburg for the past two years. He sold it in 1961 to form his own venture capital firm, the International Equity Corporation, from which he began his foray into cable television. The Elkins Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures. NewsLibrary. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York. It is amazing. Then in 1941, after seeing him twirling with another dance partner, she "grabbed Ralph, took him out on the golf course, and said, 'I want to marry you.' 1-800-896-5587 (Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm MDT) Annual Membership . The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. ''We never emphasized that they should make a lot of money, or have the biggest car,'' Mrs. Roberts recalled. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. We have all learned so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the way he lived his life. Douglas P. Roberts LEESBURG, FL Douglas P. Roberts, 54, of Leesburg, FL, passed away Aug, 18, 2014. Make a life-giving gesture. There are too many other combatants, and it becomes another deal. Mr. Roberts, typically dapper in his signature bow tie and Brooks Brothers suits, became his sons mentor and sounding board, and the two were admired as a potent business partnership while never displaying the kind of strained and tempestuous relationship that can flare when a son succeeds a successful father. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. A Visitation will be held on Friday, March 3 from 10 am - 12 pm at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 North Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60625. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology and now works with abused children. Private. Douglass Edward Roberts, 69, a lifelong resident of Swansea and the son of the late Edward Francis Roberts and Barbara (Douglass) Roberts, passed away on December 25, 2019. And I always answer with a straight face, 'Of course I did,' " Mr. Roberts said in An Incredible Dream, his authorized biography, written by William Novak. He managed to get a photograph of Bob Hope holding the club and asked him to endorse it, to help out a veteran, Mr. Roberts recalled, but there was never any formal agreement. Luckily, the youngster had business smarts as well as enthusiasm. . He told his biographer that his greatest accomplishment was that all my children speak to me frequently., Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/20/business/media/ralph-roberts-cable-tv-pioneer-who-built-comcast-dies-at-95.html. He never pressured any of them to join the family company -- and none besides Brian showed any interest in doing so. In a statement to Comcast employees, his son, Brian L. Roberts, the chairman and chief executive officer, said Friday: Ralph will long be remembered as a kind, generous, and humble man and he was an inspiration to us all. Loving father of Dennis Garland, D.J. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four of his children and their spouses: Catherine R. Clifton and Anthony A. Clifton, Lisa S. Roberts and David Seltzer, Ralph Roberts Jr. and Kim Roberts, Brian L. Roberts and Aileen K. Roberts and Diane Roberts, widow of Ralph and Suzannes son Douglas Roberts, who passed away in September 2011. "People often ask me, 'When you started in Tupelo with a few hundred customers, did you ever think that someday you'd have the largest cable company in the country?' DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY Douglas J. Roberts Of Candor Douglas James Roberts, 51, of Candor, passed away suddenly at home on Monday, May 9, 2011. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting. The son, meanwhile, remains an understudy of the father -- and the father is impressing upon the son the need to play hardball when the occasion demands it. He credits his mother for pulling the family through hard times. Wife Suzanna died on April 20, 2020 age 98", Ralph J. Roberts, Comcast Corporation Founder and Chairman Emeritus, dies at age 95, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ralph_J._Roberts&oldid=1141863531, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:20. Growing up with five kids competing for attention, it's not easy, but he put his family first. "He did it in a positive, thoughtful way, not self-aggrandizing. We are deeply saddened to announce that Ralph J. Roberts, husband, father and grandfather, died of natural causes Thursday, June 18 in Philadelphia, PA. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. The company is clearly planning for the day that Ralph Roberts will no longer be running the show. After selling the firm, he set up shop in 1961 in Bala Cynwyd. RALPH ROBERTS, the dapper 77-year-old founder of the Comcast Corporation, loves to follow the ups and downs of other family businesses and try to figure out what makes some thrive and others implode. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Douglass Edward Roberts, 2023 Hathaway Funeral Homes. He helped his wife, an actress, practice her lines and attended every performance no matter how many days the show ran. In early 2011, after a protracted review by federal regulators, Comcast acquired 51 percent of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. Doug was born July 24, 1969, in Kalamazoo, the son of Douglas and Vicky (Troyer). PHILADELPHIA-- ( BUSINESS WIRE )--Today we are deeply saddened to announce that Ralph J. Roberts, husband, father and grandfather, died of natural causes last night in Philadelphia, PA. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. After Robert Roberts died in 1932, Ralphs mother, Sara, moved the family to the Germantown section of Philadelphia, to be near her ailing sister. Doug was predeceased by his infant. They are not your blood family, but you spend so much time with them, you should treat them like family. ''When some guy decides that he is so important that he dismisses Mama for some 35-year-old trophy, then I don't know what is fair. He was the most optimistic man I ever knew. There are no events at this time. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. The soft-spoken, affable Mr. Roberts never acquired the outsize public profile of cable pioneers like Ted Turner, John C. Malone, Charles F. Dolan and John Rigas, but his impact was comparable to theirs in making cable television a culture-changing industry giving viewers hundreds of channels, where they once had little more than a dozen, and persuading them to pay for something that had always been free. He moved his family to New Rochelle, N.Y., when Ralph was 5. There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. Philadelphia became Mr. Robertss business base and the arena for his philanthropy. Though many aging entrepreneurs resist relinquishing power despite all their promises to do so, Comcast has begun notifying local cable commissions of the pending change of control, which Ralph Roberts said would be no later than early next year. Word of Mr. Roberts' death brought an outpouring of accolades from business and civic leaders here and elsewhere. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. ''Under that bow tie and courtly manner beats the heart of one tough man. "Ralph, the patient, unassuming gentleman, kept a steady hand on the wheel as they made a series of brilliant bets on the future," his son said in the biography. What is more common is that this kind of agreement does not happen. Comcast, with $68.8 billion in revenue and 139,000 employees, is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet, and telephone provider to homes. Overnight, it went from 18th to fifth among cable firms in the United States, with two million customers. ", Mayor Nutter called Mr. Roberts a "consummate gentleman, kind and gentle husband and father, and a great business leader.". It also sells those services to businesses. So he made his own bid for QVC, with TCI as a partner, effectively killing the CBS deal. These early losses, coupled with experiences as a young salesman of golf clubs, men's accessories, cologne, and Muzak, gave Mr. Roberts an ambitious, entrepreneurial spirit. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Nathan Scott, and his brother, Jonathan Scott. "But I don't think I'll be seeing too many more," he said. In addition to his wife, Ralph is survived by four of his children and their spouses: Catherine R. Clifton and Anthony A. Clifton, Lisa S. Roberts and David Seltzer, Ralph Roberts Jr. and Kim Roberts, Brian L. Roberts and Aileen K. Roberts and Diane Roberts, widow of Ralph and Suzannes son Douglas Roberts, who passed away in September 2011. Funeral arrangement under the care ofKeepes Funeral Home. Anyone can read what you share. He was 95. "That culture says that you have to care about the people you work with. [1], When Roberts was five the family moved to New Rochelle, New York and then after his father died of a heart-attack, to Germantown, Philadelphia when he was seventeen to live with his stepfather Harry Bobrow, of Bobrow Brothers Cigars. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. One early venture was selling an innovative golf putter. Beloved companion of the late Mary McMenemy. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. ''Barry is very charismatic and hypnotic, but we were not going to lose our business and become a nonvoting stockholder of CBS to provide Barry with an entree to CBS.'' BEST DEAL! He was a killer dancer - the only thing he bragged about. Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. Even as he is promoting his son, the elder Mr. Roberts is looking after the financial interests of his other children. Then, chuckling, he added, ''It was probably a very good lesson for Brian -- no question about it. IN THE CARE OF. "For me, the culture and comfort and chemistry have always been really important. Our activities are so public. Quickly locate a newspaper obituary or death notice. ALL along, however, Mr. Roberts has drawn his son closer to the center of action inside Comcast and pushed him into the spotlight outside the company. He was born Sept. 8, 1950 to Robert and Blanche Roberts in Portland. That the others did not never fazed Ralph Roberts, who encouraged them to pursue their own interests. That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. I didn't want it to appear that he was just his father's son.''. In 1963, he and his partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky, paid $500,000 for a 1,200-subscriber cable TV operator in Tupelo, Mississippi, called American Cable Systems. He owned various companies, including Pioneer Suspenders, which marketed wallets and belts for men. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. There was another side to Mr. Roberts - as a mentor to those other than his son. When the club proved to be poorly made, however the shaft bent like a pretzel, Mr. Roberts said he quickly exited the business. Investors who know him say he always prefers to remain in the background and let others like Mr.Brodsky, the vice chairman, take the limelight. BigDaddy, as he was known to his friends and family, had a remarkable passion and talent for athletics. I believe the reason we are still in this business when so many others have long since departed was his will to succeed, and to do it with certain core values and integrity. The deal made Comcast the nations largest cable operator. "I couldn't have done that if I didn't have any money. Suzanne Roberts. He had been born into an affluent home, the son of the owner of a small drugstore chain in Westchester County, N.Y. For a time, the family even had a chauffeur. [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. ''We moved into an apartment with my aunt in Philadelphia. I cannot remember a time during our relationship where a cross word passed between us. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. 'S not easy, but you spend so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was most. 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