Jud Orendorff Roberts, a 58-year resident of San Marino, CA, passed away peacefully at his home on April 24, 2021. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he was 95 years old.
Jud was an avid outdoorsman, learning as a boy to fish, hunt, snow ski, and water ski at Lake Arrowhead with his brother, Frank.
At 17, Jud enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II. After returning from the war, he attended Northern Arizona State Teachers College — and transferred to USC, where he earned a degree in 1949. Jud was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and maintained lifelong friendships with many college friends.
In 1952, he married Marilyn Hubbard of Hollywood. As a condition of the engagement, she required that he teach her to ski, which provided a lifetime of travel experiences for them and their family. Jud and Marilyn were both known as fun lovers who made friends easily. They were married 60 years until her passing in 2012.
Jud was a pioneer in many outdoor sports. He helped install the first mechanical rope tow at the June Mountain resort near Mammoth Lakes, joined the first heli-skiing groups in Canada, competed in endurance water ski races to Catalina Island, and scuba-dived the Southern California coast. Later in life, Jud became an enthusiastic golfer with Marilyn. In his later years, he was known for his weekly croquet parties, affectionately named “Croqtails”.
Jud is survived by his four children and their families: Clark Roberts, his wife, Donna, and their two children, of Coleville, CA; Brad Roberts, his wife, Caroline, and their two children, of White Salmon, WA; Cindy Albrecht, and her husband, Richard, of Koloa, HI, and their three children; Jeff Roberts, of Bali, Indonesia; and three great-grandchildren. Jud is also survived by his brother, Frank, of Reno, NV. He will be dearly missed for his ability to enliven any sporting activity or social occasion.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to an Endowment for Education Jud created at the Pasadena Community Foundation. Donations may be made online at https://pasadenacf.org/funds/jud-and-marilyn-roberts-endowment-for-education/ or by check to Pasadena Community Foundation 301 E. Colorado Blvd, Ste 810, Pasadena, CA 91101.
