James Shallcross Roberts, Delaware Bay and River pilot
Captain James “Jim” Shallcross Roberts, 90, of Lewes, crossed his final bar at The Moorings at Lewes Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023.
Jim was born in Middletown to Elizabeth (Shallcross) and Harry Benson Roberts Sr. Oct. 5, 1932. He grew up exploring the fields, streams and woods of Odessa while working on his grandfather’s farm. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and boating with his friends and family while at home, and also at the family retreat in Fenwick Island from a very early age. A close childhood friend of Jim’s recently shared that as children in Odessa, they were far more often afield than indoors and that “No one knew more about the natural world than Jim.”
After graduating from Wilmington Friends School in 1950, Jim enrolled at University of Delaware. He majored in biology, pledged to Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. During this time, his academics would bring him downstate to Lewes for field studies at the science facility on Beach Plum Island, which was the earliest iteration of what is now the UD College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. In 1954, he earned his bachelor’s degree, as well as the National Defense Service Medal as a gunner’s mate 3 for service to his country during the Korean Conflict. Jim then transitioned to active USCG duty, where he served in the Port of New York in a port security capacity as a boson’s mate 2. Upon his active-duty discharge, Jim returned to the Reserves and accepted an appointment as a Delaware State pilot apprentice with the Pilots’ Association for the Bay and River Delaware in 1956. In the summer of 1957, he married Judith Atkins, anchoring himself to a purposeful life in Lewes for the next six and a half decades.
In his 34-year career as a ship pilot and partner in the Pilots’ Association, Captain Roberts served on its board of directors and was a company liaison to the USCG. He was also appointed to the Delaware Board of Pilot Commissioners by Governors Tribbett, Dupont and Castle, and would become the longest-serving commissioner in state history.
Jim’s interests in Lewes, its history, and the natural world of coastal Delaware would inspire his community service to a number of worthy organizations over the course of several decades. He was appointed to the Delaware Coastal Heritage Greenway Council and a board member of both the Delaware Nature Society and Delaware Nature Conservancy. He was a 68-year member of the Middletown Masonic Lodge; a president of the Lewes Jaycees; a member of the Lewes Rotary Club; a commodore of the Lewes Yacht Club; a trustee of the Lewes Presbyterian Church and a president of the Lewes Board of Public Works. As a longtime member of the Lewes Historical Society, Jim served on its board and was chairman of the Cannonball House, for which he received the LHS Dr. James E. Marvil Lifetime Service Award in 2004. In recognition of his lifetime of service to his country, the maritime industry, his community and the environment, Jim was inducted into the Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame in 2010 by the Lightship Overfalls Foundation. The Captain James S. Roberts Delaware Pilot Experience ship simulator in Lewes History Museum commemorates his contributions to Lewes and his place in its rich maritime history.
Among his personal endeavors, one of Jim’s favorite hobbies was collecting timepieces, which developed into his side business, Father Time, where he restored and repaired many of the Cape Region’s antique clocks. As a lifelong fan of UD Blue Hens Football, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies, Jim spent many happy times tailgating and attending games with family, friends and colleagues, rain or shine. He also enjoyed regular poker games with his buddies around and about Lewes for many decades. He will long be missed but remembered by his family and friends as a kind and generous soul of deep integrity, with a sailor’s quick wit and a salty tongue.
In addition to his wife and parents, Jim was preceded in death by his brother, Harry Roberts Jr.; sisters-in-law, Adelaide Atkins and Louise Roberts; and nephews, James “Chris” Roberts Sr. and James “Christopher” Roberts Jr.
Jim leaves behind his children, Stephen Roberts (Jill), Michael Roberts and Elizabeth Roberts; grandchildren, Henry Roberts, Alden Clark, Derrick Martin, Tanner Martin and Zachary Hicks; a niece, Ellen Lewis (Greg); nephews, David Green (Jackie), Peter Green Jr. (Kate), Harry Roberts Jr. (Kendra), John Roberts (Debra) and Thomas Roberts (Abby); and 10 great-nieces and -nephews, and their spouses.
Jim’s family would like to express their deep appreciation to his second family at The Moorings at Lewes, where he resided for the last decade of his life, and to Delaware Hospice for their kind and compassionate care.
A private, in-person memorial will be held Sunday, Nov. 5, at Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Lewes. However, all are welcome to join the memorial virtually at 2 p.m., or at a later time by visiting the following link: parsellfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/permalink/11136668/LTWebcast. Private interment will be held at Lewes Presbyterian Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are encouraged to Delaware Hospice Center, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963; or Lewes Historical Society, 110 Shipcarpenter St., Lewes, DE 19958, in support of The Captain James S. Roberts Delaware Pilot Experience simulator.
Visit Jim’s Life Memorial webpage and sign his virtual guestbook at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
