Wallace Roberts, longtime Hay-LaCrosse area resident, passed away on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 in Lewiston, Idaho with his wife Alice by his side. He was 95. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held Saturday, March 28th, at 2:00 pm at the Hill-Ray Plaza in Colfax followed by a light reception. He will be laid to rest in the Hay Cemetery overlooking the valley that he loved.

Wallace was born November 25, 1930 at the family home in Hay, Washington just two days before Thanksgiving. He was the sixth of eight children born to Harry and Mattie Sprague Roberts. Wally grew up on a farm where he developed many of his habits and traits that would carry him through life. He attended school in Hay where he also played on the basketball team and later graduated from the LaCrosse High School. When he was 17; he married his high school sweetheart, Fern Smith, on August 14, 1947. Wally and Fern became parents a short while later with the birth of their first son and the family lived in Hay and worked on the family farm. They enjoyed going down to the Snake River where they would play in the water, go boating and water skiing, or visiting with friends and neighbors. Wally also liked to take the family camping and fishing; especially to the Tucannon River and into the Blue Mountains. As the kids were growing up, he served as a coach for some of their sporting events.

The family moved to Harvard, Idaho for a short time and he worked as a logger and for a year he worked on a cattle ranch in Lind, Washington before moving back to Hay in 1956. He started to drive the school bus in Hay and later in LaCrosse and he didn’t leave the driver’s seat for 43 years. Wally was well liked by many of the students who rode his bus. He worked for the Pioneer Telephone Company as a service man for 27 years. The family moved to LaCrosse in 1971.

Wally was an avid hunter and had numerous excursions to Canada, Wyoming, Montana with buddies to go hunting. He loved to hunt in the Blue Mountains as well. Fern passed away in 1983.

He found love and companionship again when he married Alice Kuhn Ruland whom he had known for several years in the community. They married September 1, 1984 and made their home in LaCrosse. Their blended families were of the utmost importance to both Wally and Alice. They enjoyed traveling together and took many scenic road trips throughout the region and the wider U.S. Three trips to Hawaii were very memorable as a time for rest and relaxation. Wally was always a gambler too and liked to play poker or visit the casinos whenever he could. He retired from the phone company in 1997 but turned right back around and bought the family ranch with an idea to farm with his son. A short while later his son passed away and Wally has been running “WD Cattle” ever since. He also served a stint as mayor of LaCrosse for 12 years.

He will be missed by many in the community; but most especially by his family. He leaves behind his wife, Alice, at their home in LaCrosse; two daughters, Darleen (Alan) Knott of LaCrosse and Tana (Andrew) Gall of Seattle; three step-children, Debra McKay, Bradley (Sharron) Ruland, and Sandy (Al) Sherrodd all of Spokane; his brother Randall Roberts of Bothell, WA.; 16 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren of whom he was so proud. He was preceded in death by his first wife Fern; sons Dick and Steve Roberts; a granddaughter, Sarah Roberts; a great-grandson Cade Roberts and by 6 siblings.

Memorial gifts are suggested to a charity of donor’s choice. On-line guest book is at www.corbeillfuneralhomes.com Corbeill Funeral Home in Colfax is caring for the family.