OSAGE CITY, Kan. – Roberta (Reed) Daniels, 88, of Osage City, Kan., passed away Monday, April 6, 2026, at Osage Nursing Center, Osage City. She was born May 16, 1937, in Bennington, Vt., the daughter of Hiel T. Reed and Mae B. (Golding) Reed.
The family lived in Shaftsbury, Vt., where Roberta attended a one-room schoolhouse. After graduation, Roberta attended the University of Vermont and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1959. She then went on to earn her master’s in 1964, and doctorate in 1980 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Roberta taught at Inner City School, Minneapolis, Minn., before becoming a professor. She then taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Emporia State University, University of Arizona, and Arkansas State University. She also served on many local, state, and national committees for education of gifted, talented, and creative. After retirement, she settled in Overbrook, Kan., where she lived until moving into Homestead in Osage City on Aug. 11, 2022.
Throughout her life, Roberta was active in the Methodist church and served on many committees and boards in Nebraska, Arkansas, and Kansas. She enjoyed puzzles, and was part of a group that made money by selling puzzles, which were then donated to the library and to the Osage County first responders. She was also a master quilter. She enjoyed joining her daughter and son-in-law, Lorrie and Dan, on their trips to the dunes to ride 4-wheelers and to Branson. She also enjoyed family trips with her grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Hiel and Mae Reed; and three sisters, Sharon Reed, Mary Lou Cross, and Ellen Elwell.
She is survived by her daughter, Lorrie Crumb and her husband, Dan, of Lyndon, Kan.; daughter-in-law, Buffy Cranford, of Glendale, Ariz.; nephew, Peter Cross and his wife, Paula, of Bennington, Vt.; four grandchildren, Rachel, Charlie, Robert, and Keighley; and two other children, Paula and John Petelle.
A celebration of life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Overbrook Public Library, Osage County first responders, or Osage County Help House, and sent in care of Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, PO Box 268, Overbrook, KS 66524. Condolences can be left at www.lamb-roberts.com.
