Roberta Ruth "Ro" Held , 69, Minot died on Sunday, December 27, 2015 in her home after a six week battle with gallbladder and liver cancer. She demonstrated great strength, courage, and dignity during this time, as she did throughout her life.

Ro was born on December 26, 1946 in Crystal City, Missouri to Boston and Elberta (Becker) Richards. She was raised and educated in Crystal City and graduated from Crystal City High School in 1964. She then attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

Ro married her high school sweetheart, Rick Held, on August 20, 1966 in Festus, Missouri at First United Methodist Church. They made their home in Tucson, Arizona where Rick was stationed with the U.S. Air Force. They were later stationed at Wheeler AFB in Hawaii before their final transfer to Minot Air Force Base, Minot, North Dakota in January of 1983. While residing in each of these communities, Ro was employed by the local newspaper offices and worked in the Classified Advertising Departments. More recently, Ro was employed as the office manager by Minot orthodontist, Dr. Dennis Sommers, where she worked for eighteen years until her retirement in 2003.

Once retired, Ro was able to dedicate more time to her four grandchildren. It was very important to her that she could spend time with her grandchildren. In doing so, she created a special bond with each one of them. She also volunteered at each of their elementary schools, which included McKinley, Edison and Lewis and Clark (where she was known as Nanny Ro). She enjoyed picking up her grandsons from school and treating them to an after school snack. She loved to take them golfing, and she also looked forward to the North Dakota State Fair each summer. Her adventurous spirit helped her make an attempt to ride on every ride with her grandsons.

When her granddaughters Carson and Riley were younger, she would take them on a weekly lunch date where she loved watching them play and make new friends. She enjoyed making home cooked meals for Carson and her college friends over the past year, and she enjoyed her many in-depth conversations with Riley. She loved all of her grandchildren so much, and always went way above and beyond. She had such a special bond with each one of them, and they will truly miss her beautiful spirit and loving character.

Ro was a member of the Vincent United Methodist Church, Minot, North Dakota. She loved giving back to the community. She served as a Christmas bell ringing volunteer for 14 years for the Salvation Army. Her hobbies included golfing, hunting and fishing as well as reading. For those that knew her, she would always carry a book along with her, just in case she had a few minutes to read. Ro was an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.

Ro's loving family includes her husband of 49 years Rick; children: Chris (Tiff) Held and Carey (Craig) Erickson all of Minot; grandchildren: Carson, Riley, Nixxen and Keaton; brother: Sam (Becky) Richards of Festus, Missouri; nieces: Roberta Mothershead of Raleigh, North Carolina; Diana Richards of Kahului, Hawaii; Rachel Richards of Las Vegas, Nevada; Wendy Richards of Keaau, Hawaii; nephew: Brett Mothershead of Greensboro, North Carolina and numerous cousins.

Ro was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Becky (John) Mothershead.

Celebration of the Life of Ro Held: Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. in Vincent United Methodist Church - Minot North Dakota.
Visitation: Monday from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home - Minot North Dakota.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials in honor of Ro Held are preferred to The Lord's Cupboard Food Pantry and can be left at the church or mailed to: The Lord\'s Cupboard Food Pantry, 1525 Burdick Expressway West Minot ND 58701.