Obituary of Roberta Kalata

Roberta Kalata Roberta Kalata, age 65, of Erie, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, November 25, 2024, surrounded by her family, after a valiant 5 ½ year battle with lung cancer. She was born on July 14, 1959, in Erie, the daughter of the late James R. “Bob” and Carol Crawford. She grew up in Cranesville, PA and graduated from Northwestern High School, where she participated in the school chorus. She attended JH Thompson Academy and later worked at Metro Health Center as a unit secretary. After her children were older, she returned to work, first at Mason Farms Country Store, and then as a unit secretary at St. Mary’s at Asbury Ridge, retiring due to illness in 2024. Roberta loved bingo, “scratch-offs,” Motown/R&B music, the Golden Girls, The Big Bang Theory, and her dogs: Samantha, Max, and Maddie. Working with the residents at St. Mary’s brought her great joy. She was a devoted wife, a wonderful mother and grandmother, and a fierce defender of her friends and family. Her determined battle with cancer inspired all of us who were lucky enough to know her. She is survived by her husband, John J. Kalata, DO, children; Christopher, Andrew (and his wife Krista) and Jennifer, her precious grandson John, her sisters Judith Depinet and Sherri Bonnell and her husband Jon, her brothers-in-law David Kalata and Michael Kalata, DO and his wife Jennifer, sisters-in-law Kathryn Martin and Amy Paszkowski, her best friend Connee Lichtinger, and several cousins, nieces, and nephews. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her grandparents Paul and Florence Hobart, her in-laws Dr. John C. and Mercedes Kalata, her brother-in-law Donald Depinet, and her favorite dog Max. The family would like to thank Drs. Symes, Tayshetye, Stachelek, Chakraborty and their teams at the AHN Cancer Institute, Drs. Stevens and Chao at the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Carter and VNA Hospice of Erie for their compassionate care. We are grateful for our work families at St. Mary’s, LECOM/Millcreek Community Hospital, and the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association for their love and support throughout Roberta’s journey. Friends may call at the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 4216 Sterrettania Rd. on Monday, December 2, 2024, from 3 pm. to 7 pm. Prayers there on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 9:15 am followed by a Funeral Mass at Out Lady of Peace R.C. Church at 10 am. Entombment at Mary Queen of Peace Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary’s at Asbury Ridge, 4855 West Ridge Road, Erie, PA 16506, the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund, ATTN: Dr. Tom Pitts, 1858 West Grandview Blvd. Erie, PA 16509 or the V Foundation for Cancer Research, 14600 Weston Pkwy., Cary, NC 27513.