Frank Pournelle 
Roberta Jane Pournelle, wife of author Jerry Pournelle passed in her sleep on Sunday August 2, 2020.
Funeral Services + Interment will be Friday August 14 at 10:30A PT at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in a private ceremony.
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In lieu of flowers, the family would like to remember Roberta’s passion for reading with your donation to the non-profit group Reading is Fundamental
https://www.facebook.com/ReadingIsFundamental/
The family welcomes you to honor and celebrate her memory along with the life of Jerry Pournelle.
Roberta was the matriarch of the Pournelle clan, making calm out of Chaos.
She was mother to four sons and a step-daughter, grandmother to 4 kids and sister to 8 siblings.
Born in the mining town of Victoria, ID as Roberta Isdell, she grew up in the Queen Victoria area of Seattle during meager times. The Isdell family was, however, rich in music and singing and reading and school.
Roberta put herself through college working at Boeing as a secretary to graduate from the University of Washington.
There she met Jerry Pournelle one night in 1958 at the Blue Moon Tavern. The epic romance spanned fencing, science fiction, aerospace, plays, writing, religion, philosophy and big dreams.
Alexander Craig Pournelle was born in 1960.
They lost a child, but persevered.
Francis Russell Pournelle was born in 1966.
Phillip Euguene Pournelle was born in 1968.
Richard Stefan Pournelle arrived in 1970.
Roberta loved music, singing in the choirs of St. Nicholas in Encino and later at St. Francis De Sales in Sherman Oaks. She san until nearly 80 years of age. Listeners could pick out her mezzo-soprano voice from a singing group no matter the setting.
She entertained often and held sway over the antics of family, friends and colleagues at ChaosManor for over 50 years.
Her achievements were prolific:
Author in her own right, holder of a Master’s Degree in Education, programmer of an early dyslexia program (READINGTLC.com), retired teacher of music and reading at the Kirby juvenille correctional facility in Commerce, homemaker, retirement planner, muse and mother.
Roberta loved life and held a will over her destiny until the day she left this earth.
She hoped you’d do the same.
She believed everyone is redeemable and everyone has a soul.
You simply must put in the work.
If you have memories of Roberta, please post in the comments below.
I was terribly saddened to hear of this. She was a delightful lady to know.
Please accept my prayers and condolences.
Our deepest and heartfelt sympathies. Chris, Nicole, and Roman Stott
Honored to meet Roberta (and Dr P) twice.
First time was in Germany, late 1980s at a Navy information systems conference. We were on a bus winery tour and it just happened to stop at a winery where I was friendly with the owner. Got Herr Gerhard to get out his good stuff, not the tourist swill he reserved for bus tours. Was a pretty good day into the evening.
Second time was nearly 10 years later in LA. I imagine it was a DC-X party or coordination meeting. Roberta recognized me immediately and she carried on with conversation as if we were still in Germany.
Wonderful woman with a legacy of caring and kindness all her own.
My condolences to the family.
I am so sorry to hear of Roberta’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
All my love to Roberta’s family. I will miss my friend. She brightened any room she was in.
Debra and I are filled with sorrow at Roberta’s passing. We enjoyed her company at the choral concerts in which she sang, at the opera telecasts at our local theater, and most of all at our wedding. Her grace and charm will remain in our memories.
My deepest condolences- very sad
My condolences to the family! I met her back in the 80’s along with her husband Doctor Pournelle. She was a lovely person as was her husband!
While I adore all the Pournelles (yes, even the unlovable ones) Roberta is my favorite. No one was more polite while giving a gimlet eye than she!
She reveled in the mess and absurdity of everyday life because it made her appear all the more refined and put together.
She disliked most things vegetal, would laugh at jokes scatalogical, and freely discuss why your opinion was wrong. She also believed that she had the most handsome, talented husband ever-
I got to spend a great deal of time with both Roberta and Jerry. We all should be jealous of the love they had for their friends, and their children, but mostly for their love of each other.
My deepest sympathy and condolences to the family. I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry and Roberta at a con a long time back. Two fine people whose passing diminishes all of us.
My thoughts and prayers for the family. Both husband and wife had a far reaching impact on the world.
Roberta and I shared many laughs together her last year at Chaos Manor and I believe that she truly enjoyed hanging out with the ”girls at the house” – me, Kym, Katja, Shelly, Olivia the cat, (and Alex even though he isn’t a girl). Roberta was all about family, she loved her kids and grandkids very much and almost every day she told me how she loved and missed Jerry, pointing at pictures of him around the house. Upon learning of the COVID-19 virus she was mostly worried that her family and Chaos Manor girls would catch it – not her. Roberta was one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met, her care for others made her beautiful in my eyes. Roberta found a way to give compliments on the daily even though her speech was limited towards the end.
I loved Roberta very much, she made my life brighter and I’m feeling lucky I got to spend time with her. She had this beautiful brightness about her and she was fun, always finding the right timing for a joke.
Roberta, you will be missed but I hope that you get to rest peacefully now, reuniting with your Jerry.
Truly sorry to hear of the passing of such a wonderful person. Roberta always went out if her way to make me feel included and comfortable in whatever setting ~ at her home, at various conventions ~ and she will be greatly missed by everyone who was lucky enough to have met her.
Reclling the last time we had dinner with #Jerry_Pournelle & Roberta at their home-office-Galactic/HQ north of the #Hollywood Hills (~2002 AD).
#Roberta_Pournelle (1935-2020)
[https://www.jerrypournelle.com/sciencefiction/2020/08/04/roberta-pournelle-passes-at-age-85/]
https://twitter.com/FrancisJeffrey7/status/1292874567157813248?s=20
Decades ago, I exchanged e-mails with Roberta about her reading program, which was then Apple-only, noodging her gently that it be brought to the PC platform, tout suite. It did get there, finally, and we (parents) tested it at our local K-4 school in a volunteer program, along with Accelerated Reader. It worked – and the kids enjoyed using it. The educational establishment being resistive to outside influence as it is, we had limited success, but success nonetheless, and I reflected over the years how empowered parents and teachers can make such a difference in the life and potential of a child, with even a little investment of care and spare time. I watched as the kids who were most engaged in the reading program were listed in the honor roll notices in the paper – year after year. That has to count as a big part of Roberta’s legacy to the world – and to the children whose lives she improved with her work in literacy. On behalf of all those children whose lives you so advanced and benefited: thank you, Roberta.
Mrs. Pournelle was my reading instructor at Kirby center in 1981-1982. She encouraged my writing, which has enriched my life ever since. What a great soul. She is missed and remembered.