Roberta (Reed) Daniels

Roberta (Reed) Daniels, 88, of Osage City, Kansas passed away Monday, April 6, 2026 at Osage Nursing Center in Osage City, Kansas.

She was born May 16, 1937 in Bennington, Vermont the daughter of Hiel T. Reed and Mae B. (Golding) Reed.  The family lived in Shaftsbury, Vermont where Roberta attended a one-room schoolhouse.  After graduation, Roberta attended the University of Vermont and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 1959.  She then went on to earn her Master’s Degree in 1964 and Doctorate in 1980 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Roberta taught at Inner City School in Minneapolis, MN before becoming a professor.  She then taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Emporia State University, University of Arizona, and Arkansas State University.  She also served on many local, state, and national committees for Education of Gifted, Talented, and Creative.  After retirement, she settled in Overbrook, Kansas where she lived until moving into Homestead (Vintage Park) in Osage City on August 11, 2022. 

Throughout her life, Roberta was active in the Methodist Church and served on many committees and boards in Nebraska, Arkansas, and Kansas.  She enjoyed puzzles, and was part of a group that made money by selling puzzles and then donated to the Library and to the Osage County First Responders. She was also a master quilter.  She enjoyed joining her daughter and son-in-law, Lorrie and Dan, on their trips to the dunes to ride 4-wheelers and to Branson.  She also enjoyed family trips with her grandchildren. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Hiel and Mae Reed, and three sisters, Sharon Reed, Mary Lou Cross, and Ellen Elwell.

She is survived by her daughter, Lorrie Crumb and her husband, Dan, of Lyndon, KS; daughter-in-law, Buffy Cranford, of Glendale, AZ; nephew, Peter Cross and his wife, Paula, of Bennington, VT; four grandchildren, Rachel, Charlie, Robert, and Keighley; and two other children, Paula and John Petelle. 

A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Overbrook Public Library, Osage County First Responders, or Osage County Help House and sent c/o Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, P.O. Box 268, Overbrook, KS 66524. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.lamb-roberts.com.

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