But they talk all the time. It shows the power of Ralph's influence, that he has been able to keep that feeling alive over 50 years," Cohen said. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A remembrance ceremony to celebrate Roberts' life will follow at a future date. A few weeks ago, the five Roberts children -- leaving behind both mates and children -- spent a day with their parents for freewheeling talks on everything from personal concerns to financial matters. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. ''I would see Ralph about once a year. Sign up for service and obituary updates. chief executive, Jeffrey R. Immelt, that the deal would be completed. Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. He is survived by : his parents, Terrance Andrew Roberts, Sr. and Geraldine Thompson (Boyce); his children, Sarah Roberts-Hanna, Katherine Allen, Sabrina McComas and Daniel Roberts; his grandchildren, Harper, Emily and Taylor; and his siblings, Danny Roberts and Charmaine Hankins. It struck me as a place where culture really mattered. In 1942, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do Philadelphia family. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY ROBERTS, DOUGLAS M. Lawton Passed away July 28, 2012 at his residence. Even though Brian is the CEO, Ralph set the tone from a business point of view.". Ralph was my personal mentor, teaching me how to build and maintain a great organizational culture irrespective of size," Bonovitz said. Ralph is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years. And by the end of this year, the elder Mr. Roberts will increase Brian's control over the company's special class of 8.8 million shares that represent nearly 82 percent of Comcast's vote. As an executive, Mr. Roberts had a knack for attracting talented people and giving them power, within limits. Philadelphia became Mr. Robertss business base and the arena for his philanthropy. Bob McGovern "He found the buttons to push.". ''Under that bow tie and courtly manner beats the heart of one tough man. Funeral homes; Help and advice. Ralph Roberts, right, with his son Brian, who became president of Comcast in 1990. The deal made Comcast the nations largest cable operator. Overnight, it went from 18th to fifth among cable firms in the United States, with two million customers. After selling the firm, he set up shop in 1961 in Bala Cynwyd. Comcast, with $68.8 billion in revenue and 139,000 employees, is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet, and telephone provider to homes. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. Growing up with five kids competing for attention, it's not easy, but he put his family first. Most of his pay, he said, came from $43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had to exercise. It is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian's siblings react to all this? "Our city has lost a wonderful champion," Nutter said in a statement. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City, and was an entrepreneur from an early age. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting,was incorporated in 1969. "I never had a bad idea in working for him for 30-plus years," Roberts said. He recalled in a 1996 interview digging up his mother's marigolds and selling them to the neighbors. Ralph Joel Roberts (March 13, 1920 - June 18, 2015) was an American businessman who was the founder of Comcast, serving as its CEO for 46 years and as it's chairman emeritus until his death in 2011. Though his father called Comcast a family business, Brian was the only one of the children to show a serious interest in working with his father. This has a pretty good chance of working. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. Stone Funeral Home. In addition to his wife, Ralph is survived by four of his children and their spouses: Catherine R. Clifton and Anthony A. Clifton, Lisa S. Roberts and David Seltzer, Ralph Roberts Jr. and Kim Roberts, Brian L. Roberts and Aileen K. Roberts and Diane Roberts, widow of Ralph and Suzannes son Douglas Roberts, who passed away in September 2011. Ralph J. Roberts, the man who founded Comcast Corp. with the purchase of a 1,200-subscriber cable television system in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1963, died Thursday night of natural causes in. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four of his children and their spouses: Catherine R. Clifton and Anthony A. Clifton, Lisa S. Roberts and David Seltzer, Ralph Roberts Jr. and Kim Roberts, Brian L. Roberts and Aileen K. Roberts and Diane Roberts, widow of Ralph and Suzannes son Douglas Roberts, who passed away in September 2011. "I couldn't have done that if I didn't have any money. "From selling belts door-to-door to creating the largest entertainment and technology corporation in the United States of America - it's an incredible success story. At least Comcast has the financial flexibility to make the transition work. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. It purchased for $30 billion controlling interest in the entertainment conglomerate's NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks; pay TV channels such as USA, CNBC, Bravo, and Syfy; the Universal movie studio; and Universal Studios theme parks in Florida and California. "Ralph served as a longtime member of the Penn Medicine board, and actively supported athletics, undergraduate financial aid, and his class." The deal put the cable company on a far larger corporate map. Douglass Edward Roberts, 69, a lifelong resident of Swansea and the son of the late Edward Francis Roberts and Barbara (Douglass) Roberts, passed away on December 25, 2019. The couple celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2012. [9], In 1942, Roberts married Suzanne Fleisher,[10] who was also Jewish,[2] an actress and playwright, and daughter of philanthropist Alfred W. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stonefuneralhomeupland.com for the ROBERTS family. '', That would have been a wrenching decision, as it almost invariably is for the founder of a company. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Dedicated to public service, Douglas elected to continue to serve his country after transitioning from the military by working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service for 35 years, eventually retiring from Wicker Park Station. He did this by encouraging free-flowing discussion, then focusing the issue with probing questions. Ralph J. Roberts founded Comcast Corp. in 1963. Roberts, who also served as chairman emeritus of the companys board of directors, created asmall, regional cable outfit that is now the largest cable and home Internet provider in the United States and the largest broadcasting and cable company in the world. NewsLibrary. Mr. Roberts has by all accounts done a skillful job of grooming Brian to fill his shoes so that he is both respected by his peers and supported by his siblings. Quickly locate a newspaper obituary or death notice. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. And Peter Barton, the former president of Liberty Media, recalled that Brian Roberts played the key role in a complicated deal with Liberty involving the purchase of Time Warner's stake in E Entertainment, a cable-service company, for $321 million. Doug was predeceased by his infant. He wanted to marry her after several years, but she wasn't ready. While no one doubts that the father still calls a lot of the shots, he has eased his son into high-profile positions both at the bargaining table and in the public eye. No services are scheduled at this time. We have all learned so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the way he lived his life. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Douglas A. Roberts of Mount Carmel, Illinois, born in Tampa, Florida, who passed away on May 2, 2021, at the age of 66, leaving to mourn family and friends. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. ommitted to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. OBITUARY Douglas McArthur ROBERTS April 10, 1943 - May 16, 2022. ''They are all billionaires, and they're fighting like crazy over another billion.''. Later, the two men found themselves in the same restaurant, and Mr. Roberts suggested that Microsoft consider investing in cable. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. He was 95. '', Or an arrogant one. He rose to president and chief executive at Pioneer and eventually bought the company. [15][16], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:20, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Times: "Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95", "Love: Suzanne (Fleisher) Roberts & Ralph J. Roberts", "Brian Roberts' Jewish Roots and Outsized Ambition Drive Comcast's Rise in Media", University of Pennsylvania Medicine: "About the Roberts", "Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia: Our Hall of Fame, Eastern State Penitentiary: "Funders for the Synagogue Restoration", "Starring Role - From the boards to the funding, Suzanne Roberts lives for the stage", "Howard Gerstley Fleisher, 95, Businessman and Active Volunteer", Daily Finance: "Comcast's Brian Roberts: The low-key exec who leads a high-profile giant" By Jonathan Berr, The Cable Center: "Cable Hall of Fame Archives - Ralph J. Roberts, "Comcast founder Ralph Roberts dies at 95. Contributions may be made to the Germantown Boys and Girls Club, 25 W. Penn St., Philadelphia 19144, or the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia 19103, or at http://unitedforimpact.org/ways-to-give. He credits his mother for pulling the family through hard times. "It's just a miracle," Brodsky said. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Nathan Scott, and his brother, Jonathan Scott. I believe the reason we are still in this business when so many others have long since departed was his will to succeed, and to do it with certain core values and integrity. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. In one generation, he started a company that is one of the 50 biggest companies in the U.S.," said Burke, one of a second wave of executives to join Comcast 15 years ago. The five children and their parents jointly own the holding company that owns Comcast's supervoting shares. "He was the greatest influence in my life and a joy for me to work side by side with for over three decades. (Mr. Bush won the states other Senate seat two years later.). Mr. Roberts bought a small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. I didn't want it to appear that he was just his father's son.''. ''The most dangerous thing is a son or daughter coming into a business where they think they get special treatment,'' Mr. Roberts said. The industry as we know it today that is generating enormous revenues and is the way that most American consumers get their television was invented by Ralph Roberts and these other cable barons, said Josh Bernoff, a media analyst. We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. His father, Robert Max Roberts, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who prospered with a string of pharmacies in the city. Ralph J. Roberts, 95, the soft-spoken visionary who in 1963 bought a tiny subscriber-TV system in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast Corp., the nation's leading cable company, died Thursday night in Philadelphia. Brian Roberts came to know Mr. Gates when a contingent of Comcast executives visited Microsoft on a fact-finding tour several years ago. "During this period, even before 1979 . He was born Sept. 8, 1950 to Robert and Blanche Roberts in Portland. No one was punished for broaching a new idea. He managed to get a photograph of Bob Hope holding the club and asked him to endorse it, to help out a veteran, Mr. Roberts recalled, but there was never any formal agreement. The elder Mr. Roberts kept the titles of chairman and chief executive. He felt, 'This doesn't have to be about me.' ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. He was needed there because of his business acumen, his superiors said. ''This is a relatively unusual situation,'' said Leon Danco, president of the Center for Family Studies. His son Douglas died in 2011. He sold it in 1961 to form his own venture capital firm, the International Equity Corporation, from which he began his foray into cable television. Mr. Gates told the group he believed the cable industry had been slow to upgrade its systems. The recent deal was begun when the executive committee of Cablelabs, the cable industry's research and development arm that included Brian Roberts and John Malone, chairman of Tele-Communications Inc., the country's largest cable operator, visited Microsoft in late April. '', Ralph Roberts acknowledges that he was the heavy. We'll automatically email you when obituaries are added that match your search query. Although eager to serve on a ship, Mr. Roberts spent his World War II duty as matriel superintendent in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. [12] They had five children: Catherine, Lisa, Ralph Jr. (Rob), Brian, and Douglas (who died in 2011);[2] and eight grandchildren.

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