Passing of Alice Roberts, Founder of Chas Roberts Air Conditioning & Plumbing

Alice Roberts, co-founder of Chas Roberts Air Conditioning & Plumbing, passed away September 1, 2013, at the age of 95. Alice and her husband Chas founded Chas Roberts in 1942 and today, the company is Arizona’s largest air conditioning provider.

Alice was born in 1918 in Bisbee, Ariz. and married Charles (Chas) Roberts in 1936. Since Chas and Alice Roberts founded Chas Roberts Air Conditioning and Heating in Phoenix in 1942, the business has remained family owned and operated. In the early years, sales consisted of home appliances, coolers, furnaces, air conditioners and service. Alice and Chas’s son, Charles, took over managing the company in the 60s and when residential construction began to boom in the 70s, Chas Roberts grew to meet this need.

In the late 1990s, ownership and management of the company passed to Alice and Chas’s granddaughter, Roberta “Sissie” Roberts Shank. Just like her grandmother, the family matriarch, Roberts Shank has shown the determination and business savvy needed to lead a large, profitable company through both good and poor economic times. Under Roberts Shank’s leadership, the company has grown to more than seven locations in the Phoenix area and one in Tucson; expanded its HVAC services into New Mexico; and added residential and commercial plumbing to its menu of services.

“My grandmother was a business leader in a time when smart, strong women were rarely appreciated,” said Roberts Shank. “It is from her that I learned to work hard and smart, honor commitments, and to maintain a sense of humor. She will be remembered for her beautiful smile, infectious laughter, and by the well-respected business she founded with my grandfather more than 70 years ago.

Alice was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Roberts Sr. and her son, Charles “Chuck” Roberts. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Roberts Pine (David), five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Chas Roberts Air Conditioning & Plumbing creates comfortable living environments for Arizona homeowners by providing quality installations and service of air conditioning, heating and plumbing systems at competitive prices. Chas and Alice Roberts founded Chas Roberts Air Conditioning in 1942 and the business has been family owned and operated since day one. Today, Chas Roberts is the largest HVAC provider in Arizona with eight locations including Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Queen Creek, Tempe, Avondale, Sun City and Tucson, and passes along its buying power to homeowners and backs its service with highly trained HVAC and plumbing personnel and online scheduling capabilities.