Dr. Ida Mae Roberts

Dr. Ida Mae Roberts transitioned from this life to embrace a new journey with God and her ancestors in the late afternoon of Monday, January 15th, 2024.  She was born on April 29th, 1942, in Millhaven, GA, to the late Harry and Evelyn (Everlena) Roberts.

Ida attended high school at Central High School in Sylvania, Georgia. Following graduation, she embarked on a path of service, enrolling in the University Hospital School of Nursing. In 1965, she emerged as a licensed registered professional nurse, setting the stage for a trailblazing career. 

After honorably serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, she redirected her compassion towards mental wellness, earning a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Hayward. Her civilian career began with the Oakland Unified School District as a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist. Simultaneously, she ventured into real estate, proudly taking ownership of two multi-family apartment buildings in Oakland, California, and found her lifelong partner, Dr. Norman Otto Douglass, with whom she was blessed with her only child, Dr. Karisman Roberts-Douglass.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Ida continued her educational journey at the California School of Professional Psychology, earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Joining the ranks of a select few Black women licensed psychologists in Northern California in the early 90s, she established her own private practice, Mind Body Integration. Specializing in cranial sacral therapy, she fulfilled her lifelong passion for healing others until her well-deserved retirement in 2012.

Ida will be remembered not only for her professional achievements but also for the warmth and compassion she brought to every life she touched. Her legacy is one of breaking barriers, fostering mental wellbeing, and embodying the spirit of service.

She leaves behind to carry on her legacy, her son, Dr. Karisman Roberts-Douglass, two brothers, Harry (Myong) Roberts Jr. and James (Verla) Roberts, four sisters, Mattie L. Bradley, Irma Brown, Alverta (John) Hills, and Rosa Lee Roberts, a godson, James R. Roberts II, as well as host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends. May her spirit continue to inspire us all.

The celebration of life for Dr. Roberts will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 10, 2024 in the Ollie Robinson Brown Memorial Chapel of Marcus D. Brown Funeral Home.  Entombment will take place at a later date at Chapel of Chimes in Oakland, CA.

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