roberta-inlow
Roberta Inlow, beloved widow, mother, and grandmother passed away in January, 2024, in Torrance, California.
Roberta was born in 1931, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Ruth and Willard Graber. She received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and obtained a teaching certificate from Butler University shortly afterwards. While studying at Indiana, Roberta met her husband of 70 years, Robert Inlow.
Roberta spent most of her early years in Clay County, Indiana living on a multi-generational farm that is still in the family. Initially, she and her sister lived with extended family after their mother passed away and her father supported the family in the US Postal Service. Eventually, the Graber family settled on the farm where Roberta spent her childhood and graduated from high school. Roberta then attended Indiana University (IU) where she studied social studies and education and pledged Delta Gamma sorority. After graduating IU and later completing her teaching certificate from Butler University, Roberta taught school in Indianapolis for several years.
Roberta often said that meeting Robert (“Bob”) Inlow was the best thing that ever happened to her. Married in 1951, in Bloomington, Indiana, she stayed on campus to complete her degree while Bob went to graduate school and medical school. Together, they moved several times over the next years as Bob completed medical school in Indianapolis, his internship at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Army service in Columbia, South Carolina. Eventually they settled in Shelbyville, Indiana for over 50 years where Bob practiced medicine at the Inlow Clinic and later at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Their partnership defined their lives, and they were very devoted to each other.
Roberta spent the early years in Shelbyville raising the family and participating in civic activities such as AAUW, Tri Kappa and the Coterie. In later years she and Bob spent time with the family in Southern California, and travelled to the Caribbean, British Isles, Europe, Russia, Lake Victoria, Africa and Mexico. Of course, there were also visits to IU for football games to visit the alma mater and watching IU basketball on TV.
Roberta was also a devoted mother of three children and seven grandchildren. Roberta is survived by Barbara Inlow-Childress (Ken), Daniel Inlow (Laura), and Diana (Dee Dee) Inlow Paré (Thomas Jr.) as well as seven grandchildren, Amanda, Andrea and Christopher Childress, Kevin and Connor Inlow, and Claire and Thomas Paré, III plus nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, and her sister Patricia Stoner.
Private graveside services were entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville.
