Roberta C. Cullity

Roberta Clark Cullity, 71, died Jan. 23, 2025, after a sudden illness. Her passing came four days after that of her husband of nearly 50 years, William M. “Bill” Cullity. 

She was born in Peterborough, N.H., on October 19, 1953, the daughter of Francis D. “Jim” Clark and Virginia (Keady) Clark. She was a member of the first graduating class at Trinity High School in 1971 and had lived in Manchester for most of her life. Roberta was a tremendous athlete dating to her days on the youth swimming and diving team in Peterborough. A four-sport athlete at Trinity (tennis, basketball, softball, skiing), she went on to become one of the top tennis players in New Hampshire, excelled in softball and later became a world-beater in golf. She skied all over the world, from the Granite State to the Alps, and rode equestrian to boot. 

She began dating Bill in high school, and they married in 1975. Before marrying, Roberta had worked for the Myrna Shoe Co. in Manchester’s Millyard and for Travelers Insurance Co. She was later a tennis teaching pro for several years at Hampshire Hills Sports and Fitness Club in Milford, the Executive Health & Sports Club in Manchester, Jasper Valley Swim & Tennis in Amherst and Bedford Bluffs in Bedford. She also coached the men’s and women’s tennis teams at St. Anselm College for nearly a decade. 

Roberta was the line judge coordinator at the Volvo International men’s tennis tournament that was staged in North Conway in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The tournament featured tennis legends such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. One year, Roberta introduced Connors to Carlton Fisk, the Boston Red Sox star who was a family friend. 

A high-level tennis competitor in the 1980s and ’90s, Roberta and her partner were the No. 2 ranked doubles team in New England in 1992 and competed nationally in New Orleans and Palm Springs, Calif. Roberta later turned to golf and went from beginner to low-handicapper in short order. In 2008, she was cited in Golf Digest as one of the four most-improved golfers in New Hampshire, with her handicap dropping 10 strokes. 

Roberta and Bill raised two daughters, Courtney and Tracy. Along with Bill, Roberta coached both girls in sports, spearheaded family camping trips to Zealand in the White Mountains and ski trips to Cannon Mountain. A strong, fierce woman, she taught her daughters, and later her granddaughters, to be themselves and speak their minds with no apologies. 

Roberta was also a survivor. She suffered a stroke after playing in a New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association tournament in Dover in 2012. Quick action by fellow tournament competitors helped save her life, and she rebounded to win the Derryfield Country Club women’s championship in 2015. She later won consecutive Derryfield senior women’s titles in 2018 and ’19, along with the Manchester city senior women’s championship in 2019. 

Family members include her daughters, Courtney McDonald and husband Matthew of Hooksett, and Tracy Bell and husband Keith of Raleigh, N.C.; granddaughters Lucy and Isla McDonald of Hooksett, and another granddaughter expected in April; her siblings, Jim Clark, Chris Clark and Brian Clark; several nieces, nephews and cousins; and her dog, Suds. She was predeceased by her parents and husband, Bill. 

Calling hours for Roberta and Bill will be held at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St. in Manchester, on Sunday, Jan. 26 from 3-6 p.m. A celebration of Roberta and Bill’s lives will be announced at a future time. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made at gofund.me/c949412c