John Burton Roberts, Jr

From Glurpo the clown at Aquarena Springs, to the Chairman and President of Busch Entertainment Corporation (a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies), John spent his life living his dreams of entertaining people.  At the time of his retirement, John had over 17,000 people working in his organization and more than 20 million visitors each year. John chose to retire at an early age and return to his roots in Texas where he owned a ranch.  With his wife Dedee, he raised Texas longhorns, including Grand Champion Buckshot with horns over 8 feet wide, and built their dream home in Austin. John loved hunting and fishing and being with friends where he was a wonderful storyteller, sometimes with some exaggeration, much to the delight of his friends and family.  

John was born in Houston, TX and grew up in San Marcos where he graduated from San Marcos High School.  He then attended and graduated from Texas State University where he was a member of the ETA TAU Chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity and served as the president. He has since been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus from both schools. He entered the Air force Reserves upon graduation and then began his nearly 30-year career with Anheuser-Busch, living in Houston, Williamsburg, VA, and St. Louis, MO.

He was a member of West Austin Rotary, past Board Member of Texas Parks & Wildlife, past Chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, Board of Directors of Southwest Research Institute, and served on two White House task forces for tourism.

John is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dedee Middleton Roberts, his son John Burton Roberts III, his daughter-in-law Rachael and his 2 granddaughters, Parker and Reagan, who all reside in Austin. He is preceded in death by his loving son Brandon who passed at the early age of 35. 

His memorial service will be held outdoors at the family cemetery on their ranch, Saturday, September 11th at 11 a.m.  The address is 4137 CR 340, Burnet, Texas 78611.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in John’s name to:  Hereditary Disease Foundation (www.hdfoundation.org) or Huntington’s Disease Society of America (www.hdsa.org) where the scientists are working tirelessly to find a cure for Huntington’s Disease. 

Remembrances may be shared at www.wcfish.com.