Bernie Roberts Passes
itspolkatime
away on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004 in Anaheim, Calif.
He was born Bernard Robert Feilbach on Aug. 16, 1921 to John and
Bertha (Mueller) Feilbach in Milwaukee. He was united in marriage to
the former Marianne Deming on Aug. 9, 1970 at Bethany Lutheran Church
in Hustisford.
Funeral services were held today at the Bethany Lutheran Church in
Hustisford. Rev. Timothy Bauer officiated. Burial was in Zion Lutheran
Cemetery in Clyman. Visitation was held at the church.
Memorials are suggested to Bethany Lutheran School in Hustisford.
Survivors include his wife, Marianne Roberts, Garden Grove, Calif.;
one son, Dean Roberts, San Francisco; one sister, Violet (Elmer)
Moungey, Waterloo; one brother, John (Inez) Feilbach, Hustisford;
nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother Oscar Feilbach;
and one sister and her husband, Marcella and Otto Volkmann.
At the age of 15, Bernie started playing the accordion and soon was
playing for house parties, birthday parties, and for anyone who would
listen. At 19, he joined a four piece band from Beaver Dam called
Shorty and the Rhythm Ramblers. After World War II started, two
members of the band were drafted and the band broke up. For two years
he played for other bands in the area, getting valuable experience.
Then at age 22, Bernie and a bass playing friend, Norbert Neis,
decided to start a new band with a new sound. The result was the
Bernie Roberts Orchestra. Two of his brothers and two of his sisters
joined the band. In 1949, the band released its first recording with
the Pfau Recording Company in Milwaukee; in 1952 with the Decca
Recording Company; and two years later, Bernie became a member of the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), a
membership that is still active. At the beginning of 1972, Bernie and
the band decided to take a vacation from making personal appearances.
On Oct. 31, 1999, Bernie and the band were elected to the Wisconsin
Polka Hall of Fame. From 1972 to 1999, he was a harness horse trainer,
owner and driver, racing at tracks in the Midwest, Colorado and
California.
Hafemeister Funeral Home in Watertown assisted the family with
arrangements.
