Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting,was incorporated in 1969. . Jun 19, 2015. There are no events at this time. Since I was 12, all I wanted to do was work with my dad, Brian Roberts said in an interview for this obituary. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. The memory of the fiasco still rankles Mr. Diller. The 1998 Inquirer Executive Compensation Survey showed that Mr. Roberts was paid $45 million, ranking second on The Inquirer's list of the most highly compensated chief executives in the region. Cancel any time, no strings attached. Loving father of Dennis Garland, D.J. After Robert Roberts died in 1932, Ralphs mother, Sara, moved the family to the Germantown section of Philadelphia, to be near her ailing sister. He was 95. ''The father is open. Brodsky, the company's longtime finance guru, on Friday described Mr. Roberts as his best friend and a "charismatic, fearless visionary" who gave people the confidence to do things they thought were impossible. In later years, he did so with his son Brian L. Roberts, to whom he turned over the companys presidency in 1990 when Brian was 30 years old. Blogs; Online will; Shop. In a high-pressure corporate world that demands long hours from its executives, Mr. Roberts was proud to say that he was sure to be home for dinner with his wife and children nearly every night. His son Douglas died in 2011. I lived at home.'' Mr. Roberts would help with homework and listen to each of his five children. Though many aging entrepreneurs resist relinquishing power despite all their promises to do so, Comcast has begun notifying local cable commissions of the pending change of control, which Ralph Roberts said would be no later than early next year. Bob McGovern CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. He was committed to the fight against cancer, and along with his wife and family, helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. ''We would have discussions about our lives. That the others did not never fazed Ralph Roberts, who encouraged them to pursue their own interests. He had resided in Leesburg for the past two years. I knew a lot of people at Comcast. The appeal was the Roberts team, the challenge, and the firm's culture. Anyone can read what you share. Flush with cash, Comcast went on a buying spree in the mid-1980s, acquiring part of the Group W cable system. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. In a family business, even the strongest allegiances can crack under the strain of a mismanaged transition at the top, but people familiar with Comcast say the younger Mr. Roberts is proving his mettle. [13][14], Roberts made an appearance on TLC's reality series Cake Boss, receiving a cake for his 90th birthday. Obituary. Enter The acquisition, which faced scrutiny from Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, was scuttled in April of this year. But if Brian were not up to it, he would not have stood a chance because you can't sacrifice all the people in the place for a poor manager. So he made his own bid for QVC, with TCI as a partner, effectively killing the CBS deal. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. Throughout his life, Roberts was involved in numerous community and civic activities, serving the boards of the Council of Emeritus Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Brandywine Museum and Conservancy, among others. The Elkins Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures. Questions? Funeral arrangement under the care ofKeepes Funeral Home. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. He had a way of leading and managing that is razor-smart, focused, intuitive, strong, but all with a velvet glove," said chief communications officer D'Arcy Rudnay. He was an inspiration to us all and we will miss him greatly.". If he hadn't, his father confesses, ''I probably would have sold the company. Obituary Roberts, Douglas David It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Douglas Roberts on August 1, 2013 at The Wellington Nursing Home in his 89th year. Daughter Lisa said Mr. Roberts was an attentive father. 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. ''This is a relatively unusual situation,'' said Leon Danco, president of the Center for Family Studies. We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. ''Deals like Microsoft and QVC would not have happened without Brian,'' said Steven Rattner, deputy chief executive of Lazard Freres & Company, who has worked with the family for about a decade. NewsLibrary. Family-business experts say the family is something of an anomaly in devising a smooth transfer between generations. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Nathan Scott, and his brother, Jonathan Scott. ''All this would never have happened in the arms of a second wife,'' according to Mr. Danco. "People often ask me, 'When you started in Tupelo with a few hundred customers, did you ever think that someday you'd have the largest cable company in the country?' Mr. Immelt was aware that many deals dont get concluded, the elder Mr. Roberts was quoted as saying in The Incredible Dream, a 2012 biography by William Novak, and he wanted some reassurance from the father of the groom that we wouldnt let this opportunity slip through our fingers.. "When?" Mr. Roberts has been married to his wife, Suzanne, for 54 years. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. But as Brian Roberts worked his way up the ladder, the halcyon 1980's came to an end. RALPH ROBERTS, the dapper 77-year-old founder of the Comcast Corporation, loves to follow the ups and downs of other family businesses and try to figure out what makes some thrive and others implode. Committed to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. Mr. Roberts later worked in advertising at the Aitkin-Kynett agency, writing slogans for the Democrat William Benton, a successful United States Senate candidate from Connecticut who defeated Prescott S. Bush, the father and grandfather of two presidents, in 1950. Although eager to serve on a ship, Mr. Roberts spent his World War II duty as matriel superintendent in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Upon graduating high school, Douglas went on to attend Wilbur Wright College briefly before following in his fathers footsteps and serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The son, meanwhile, remains an understudy of the father -- and the father is impressing upon the son the need to play hardball when the occasion demands it. ''She had a lot of friends, and she decided to go into the insurance business, and everybody she knew bought a policy from her the first year to keep us going,'' he said. Many entrepreneurs are very secretive. Their son, Brian L. Roberts, is the current CEO of Comcast Corporation. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stonefuneralhomeupland.com for the ROBERTS family. The magic words, according to Mr. Roberts, were "Yes, dear.". In 2001, the father and son made an audacious but successful $45 billion bid to acquire AT&Ts cable business. The Roberts family said in a statement: "Ralph was a remarkable man who touched the lives of so many people. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the. '', The son got the point. Even as he is promoting his son, the elder Mr. Roberts is looking after the financial interests of his other children. 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. The elder Mr. Roberts kept the titles of chairman and chief executive. They have met at the investment bank Allen & Company's annual Sun Valley Conference for media heavyweights, and they got together last summer when Mr. Gates came to speak at a United Way fund-raising event in Philadelphia. They were like mass therapy sessions with the children.''. Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. Quickly locate a newspaper obituary or death notice. A unique . His main goal at the time was to make a lot of money. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City, and was an entrepreneur from an early age. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Make a life-giving gesture. Mr. Roberts went to work selling advertisements on the back of bus schedules to help support his family. (66 years old). Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. In the meantime, he and his wife had five children. The fundamental fact is that people love television, he said, and if you can provide them with more television, they love it even more.. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. "I think maybe Ralph Roberts is the most successful businessman in the last 50 years that most people haven't heard of. The five children and their parents jointly own the holding company that owns Comcast's supervoting shares. Growing up with five kids competing for attention, it's not easy, but he put his family first. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. father . Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. 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. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. The company is clearly planning for the day that Ralph Roberts will no longer be running the show. A Visitation will be held on Friday, March 3 from 10 am - 12 pm at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 North Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60625. ''The children -- the family -- have continual discussions,'' he said during an interview in which he was joined by Brian, dressed like his father in a gray suit, black loafers, a white button-down shirt and red print tie. Get alerts, search tips, and advice from our experts. 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