Obituary of Roberta Pérez Leyde

Roberta "Robin" Pérez Leyde, 63, of State College, passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 in her home in State College. Born on April 3, 1958, in Bennington, VT, she was the daughter of Grace (Rogge) Pérez and Dr. Louis C. Pérez.

Robin was a 1976 graduate of State College Area High School. She became an accomplished sous-chef and baker, working in restaurants in California, Texas, Germany, and Pennsylvania, before becoming a bed and breakfast owner. She is survived by four children, Jessica Blasko of Florence, MA; Brian Leyde (Lydia) of Cooperstown, NY; Karen Leyde (Sergio) of Barcelona, Spain; and Laura Leyde (Nicolás) of La Serena, Chile; her mother Grace Pérez of State College; sister Lisa Luse (Shelby) of Centre Hall; brother David Pérez (Rebecca) of Glendale, WI; friend and former husband Thomas B. Leyde of State College; and many nieces, nephews, additional family members, friends, and neighbors. She was preceded in death by her father, Dr. Louis C. Pérez.

Robin was a Quaker who cared deeply about treating people with kindness and empathy, often going out of her way to help others who were in trouble. She was delighted by small children and animals, including her beloved dog, Roy, and cat, Morita. Robin enjoyed learning and read voraciously across fiction and non fiction with a particular fondness for history, archaeology, science fiction, and mysteries. Over the years, she hosted many U.S. and international students in her home, becoming friends with many of them and celebrating their successes.

There will be a memorial service held on Saturday, November 13 at the State College Friends Meeting at 611 E Prospect Ave in State College. An open visiting hour will be held from 3-4 p.m. for visitors to drop-in and pay respects to the family, and a memorial service will be held from 4-5 p.m. Masks will be required while inside the meeting house. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Robin's memory to Pets Come First (https://petscomefirst.net/donate) or the Schlow Centre Region Library (https://www.schlowlibrary.org/donate). Information about viewing a livestream of the memorial service, along with access to the virtual guest book, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/RobinLeyde.