Roberta M. Kane

Roberta Marion Kane, 82 years old, of Ellicott City, MD, died in Baltimore on November 27, 2025. She was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY on December 17, 1942 to the late Oscar Kane and Shirley Kane (née Plapinger). Roberta was preceded in death by her son Aaron (b. 1971; d. 1984) and her sister Marsha Camera (b. 1939; d. 2022). She is survived by her husband Daniel J. Watermeier, her son Ethan Watermeier and his wife Jana Barresi, her sister Wendy Kane, and her niece Rachel Kane.

Roberta attended school in Brooklyn, developing her love of dance, music and drama, before studying theatre, first at Brooklyn College, then at the University of Maryland, College Park, where Roberta met and married her husband of 60 years Dan at the UMD Chapel in June 1965. She graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and subsequently earned both an MA and PhD in Education, and taught at all levels of education from kindergarten through college, as well as enjoying a successful career in Public Relations for several years in Toledo, OH.

Small in stature, mighty in presence, with bright sky-blue eyes, lightly freckled face and skin, and in later years, Roberta was especially admired for her long, flowing, silver hair. She was a genuinely friendly, gregarious person, with a touch of chutzpah, and a vibrant, resonant voice and laugh — who would just as easily and warmly kibitz with total strangers as with family and friends. Roberta was a long-time accomplished potter, and had a keen and enduring interest in the visual and performing arts, as well as supporting a number of environmental causes as a member the National Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, and the World Wildlife Fund. Roberta, though not religious, was very proud of her Jewish heritage and felt a lifelong and heartfelt connection to Jewish culture and community.

Beloved by family and friends, Roberta will be profoundly missed as wife, mom, sister, aunt, sister in-law, friend and most of all, as a magnificent person. The Celebration of Life for Roberta will be held on Friday, December 19, at 12 PM at the Performing Arts Center/Chapel at Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant, 9000 Fathers Legacy, Ellicott City, MD 21042. Condolences to the family, and donations in Roberta’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association may be made via this link