Emily Ruth Phillips Robarts, 87, of Roswell, Georgia, formerly of Lake City, passed away on Saturday, February 15, 2025, after an extended illness.

Born July 19, 1937 to the late B.R. and Gladys Phillips, Emily spent her childhood years with her late sister Virginia (Giebeig) in Spartanburg, SC and West Palm Beach, FL, with summers at her beloved grandparents' home in Wellborn, FL. After moving to Wellborn in high school, she graduated from Columbia High in 1955. She then followed in the footsteps of her mother, sister and aunt by earning her B.S. in Elementary Education from Florida State University, in 1958. That same year she married her husband Gene "Wash" Robarts, a union that lasted 59 years until his death in 2017.

Following the births of their daughters in Tallahassee and St. Augustine, they settled back in Lake City, where Emily continued a 41-year career as a teacher and administrator, most of which was at Eastside Elementary. Emily served a number of years as State Treasurer and on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association for Staff Development, earning a Distinguished Service Award for her Statewide contributions. She also spent many years on the Florida K-12 Southern Assn. of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Accreditation Teams. She was a member of First Methodist Church in Lake City for over 60 years, serving as a member of the choir, as a Sunday School teacher, and on numerous committees. Emily loved gardening, cooking, college football, and finding the perfect lunch spot during a day of shopping. She and Gene shared a love of travelling which took them all over the US and Canada. But her greatest joy and proudest accomplishment was her family, all of whom will miss her deeply.

Emily is survived by her daughters Debra (Brock) Smith of Cumming, GA and Brenda (Keith) Tillman of Roswell, GA, her grandchildren Kristen (Brandon) Schultze of Woodstock, GA and Ryan (Anna) Tillman of Washington, D.C., and her great-granddaughter Emma Ruth Schultze.

A funeral service for Emily will be conducted on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. at First Methodist Church of Lake City, with Pastor Aaron Ankeny officiating. Interment will follow in the Bethel Methodist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation on Friday evening, February 21, 2025 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at Gateway-Forest Lawn Funeral Home.

As an avid gardener, Emily loved flowers! However, if you would like to make a contribution in her memory, please consider the First Methodist Church (Music Fund), 973 S. Marion Ave., Lake City, FL 32025, or the American Lung Association, in honor of her courageous battle with CF/Bronchiectasis.