COLUMBUS, IN
Roberta Lee Kroot, known as Bobbi, was born June 17th 1945, died July 12, 2023.
Bobbi was the middle of three daughters in a blissfully happy home in Los Angeles. She received her undergraduate degree at University of California Berkeley, and her masters at University of Southern California in special education at the John Tracy clinic for the deaf. This was a new cutting-edge program to teach speaking language to children starting at the age of 6 months. Bobbi then taught in Compton, California in the Los Angeles school system, deaf children.
Bobbi met her future husband Arthur Kroot at age 19 at Brandeis Camp Institute in Semi Valley, California, a Jewish Cultural Center. In 1969 they married and moved to Columbus, Indiana, and for the next 54 years were each other’s soul mate.
Bobbi was a natural leader, and became involved in the community programs. Two programs were reading is fundamental, and being head of the school foundation. In service league she was involved with the visitor series bringing such people as Maya Engelou to our city. These talented people came from all over the world monthly. She was president of the Heritage Foundation, working with Ed Sullivan, with education as the central focus. She also worked with Bill Laws who started a program to pay for minority students who could not afford college. The was funded by the Cummins Foundation. An outgrowth of the Law Foundation was the human rights commission, which is a part of Columbus Government today. Bobbi worked with Merry Carmichael to start the Stewart Elemantary Montessori School for children to learn in an alternative method to public education. In 1975 Bobbi became involved with the Vietnamese Resettlement and opened a Vietnamese restaurant with the Deo Campo family. Bobbi was a deeply religious person, and in the 1980’s started working with Alvin Rosenfeld at Indiana University developing their Jewish studies program. This group also included Bob Bornes and the Mervis family. Today the Jewish studies program is the largest in the country of any public university. All these programs have two things in common with Bobbi. She had a need to make education her main focus, and she had a great love for people.
Bobbi had life-long friendships and was constantly involved in making our world a better place. Bobbi was honored by the community as Woman of the Year for her work, being sponsored by a close friend Chris Lemley. In the late 1980’s Bobbi and her husband Arthur started spending time is California to be close to their families. Bobbi continued her community involvement in Santa Barbara, being president of the Center for Successful Aging with founder Beverly Schlodofsky. She also got back to her Jewish roots at Temple Bnai Brith. For many years she was head of the sisterhood. She along with several friends worked bringing people together with programs and lunches.
Bobbi’s greatest joy in life has been her family. Bobbi and Arthur have two children. Daughter, Robin, is a teacher at North High School with a special education degree, and works with Autistic children. She has a daughter, Michelle, in high school. Son Josh works with Arthur at the Kroot Corporation, and with people in recovery. Josh has two children, Aaron and Brandon, who are in Junior high school. Josh is married to Rachel Cusack, his friend for life. Bobbi has an older sister, Sandy Singer (Fred) and younger sister Phyllis Margolis (Paul), nieces and nephews, Stephanie and Jeff Singer, Jenny, and David Margolis.
An open house is planned for September 10th from 1pm to 3pm at the Four Seasons Retirement Center Main Building.
With love, the Kroot Family
