SARATOGA SPRINGS — Roberta Croff — “a pillar of strength,” her family said — died peacefully on Friday, July 2, 2021, with the loving and loyal support of her family. She was 98. She and her husband raised their four children in Altamont.

She was the daughter of the late T. Barden and Hazel (née Williams) Nelson of West Pawlet, Vermont. “She was the dedicated wife of the late Ernest G. Croff; they were known as ‘Ernie and Bert’ to those who loved and cared for them during their almost 76 years of marriage,” her family wrote in a tribute.

Mrs. Croff was a retired registered nurse at Albany Memorial Hospital where she received her training during World War II in 1944.

“During Roberta’s life, she had many interests,” her family wrote, “and enjoyed camping and fishing on Lake Champlain with Ernie, along with hiking and picking flowers with her grandchildren.

“Roberta was an active parishioner in the Wells United Methodist Church and the Rupert Methodist Church when she resided in Vermont. She was an amazing woman, a devoted wife, a wonderful mother, a fantastic grandmother and a loyal friend!”

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Roberta (née Nelson) Croff is survived by her sister, Betty Sue Alfonsi, and her husband, Ambrose, and Betty’s children and grandchildren; by her grandchildren, Laura Moore and her husband, Joseph, Amy Cerrone, and Diana Cerrone; by her great-grandchildren, Carl Daniels and his wife, Caitlyn, Jonathan Brunner, Ellen Brunner, Kendra Cole, and Gianni Rocco Lombardi; and by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Her four children — Sharon Croff, Gilbert Croff, Nancy Croff, and Betty Sue Croff — died before her, as did her brother, John “Jack” Nelson and his wife, Dorothy.

Calling hours will be held at the Robert M. King Funeral Home, 23 Church St. in Granville, on Thursday, July 15, from noon to 1 p.m. followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m. Burial will be at the Rupert Street Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.