Methodist pastor Rev. Anne Carol Young Roberts of South Burlington, Vt., died at the McClure Miller Respite House on March 17, 2026, of complications due to heart failure. She was 87.
Anne Carol Young was born on March 27, 1938, in Norristown, Pa., as the second daughter of Edith (Cox) Young and Edward Young. She suffered from scarlet fever as a child, just before penicillin became widely available, that caused significant hearing loss.
Shortly after graduation from Albright College in 1959, she married Kenneth C. Roberts Jr., and the couple moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., where Anne taught home economics and obtained a master’s in teaching degree at Wayne State University while her husband completed his studies at the University of Michigan. In 1962, they moved to Williamstown, Mass., where they resided for more than two decades before their divorce in 1990.
Anne taught home economics at Mount Greylock Regional High School for over 20 years. In the mid-1980s, she was called to the ministry. Heeding that call, she obtained a master’s of divinity degree from Boston University and pastored four churches in Massachusetts in the towns of West Brookfield, Somerset, Belchertown and East Bridgewater as an elder over the course of her ministering career. Her ministry tied together her musicianship, her visual arts talents and her sewing background in creating banners to celebrate the word of Jesus Christ. Her hearing loss as a child, which continued to deteriorate throughout her adult life, presented a continual challenge that she conquered in serving her churches. Anne moved to Vermont in retirement to be closer to family.
Her greatest tragedy was the death of her first son, Kenneth C. Roberts III, as a toddler in 1969. After that heartbreak, she and Ken went on to have two boys, Kevin T. Roberts, currently of Carmel, Ind., and Keith A. Roberts, currently of Hinesburg, Vt.
She is survived by her son Kevin and his children, Matthew and Elizabeth; and by her son Keith, his wife, Heather, and their children, Tom, Kate and Meg.
The family wishes to thank the cardiology team at the University of Vermont Medical Center, as well as the palliative and spiritual care teams there, and the staff at the McClure Miller Respite House, who gave compassionate comfort to Anne during her final days. The family will hold a memorial service pursuant to her wishes at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make memorial donations to McClure Miller Respite House. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.