Nancy Roberts’ grace runs as deep as her faith.
In 1993 her older sister, Marilyn Sage Meagher, was murdered during a random burglary in Houston.
James Dickerson and Erica Sheppard were 19 years old when they were sentenced to death for Marilyn’s murder. Dickerson died while incarcerated in 1999. Sheppard remains on death row.
Today, Nancy is president of Parole Project’s board of directors. In this role, she helps with fundraising efforts to support recently released men and women who have spent decades incarcerated for crimes similar to the one her sister was the victim of. No one sees this paradox more clearly than Nancy, who has also advocated to have Sheppard removed from death row.
“Not many in my family agreed with me at the time,” Nancy said. “But I had to say something. I had to do what my conscience dictated, and I saw no point in her being executed. I wasn’t going to watch her be executed. It wouldn’t make me feel better and two people would be dead.”
She was very close to her sister, who was 18 months older. There were eight children in their family — four boys and four girls, Marilyn was number five and Nancy was number six. They attended LSU together. In every picture Nancy shares, Marilyn is surrounded by her family, including her two children, Kelley and Michael. She has a wide grin and sparkling eyes.
“She was fun and beautiful,” Nancy said. “She was the side of me I needed.”
Nancy lives in the gray area of life, where duality meets in the uncomfortable space that most people don’t even want to dip their toes in. She misses her sister every day. She grieved and suffered from PTSD — waking up screaming from nightmares about the murder, navigating the ripple effect a violent death has on the whole family, and she also forgives the two people who killed her.
“I went through a lot when she died,” Nancy said. “My grief came out as depression. I was angry and hurt. When I was growing up, my father was an alcoholic, and I had attended Al-Anon meetings, and those meetings really helped me. I also started studying Richard Rohr (a Franciscan priest and writer) and reading his daily meditation. I learned what it means to be a Christian, like really be a Christian and it made me feel like I can do this. I can forgive. Really forgive.”
Nancy got involved with Parole Project in 2019 after a friend and board member asked her to join the board. She was nearing retirement, interested in prison reform, and had a background in teaching and nonprofits. In 1990, she founded the Louisiana Resource Center for Educators and grew it to be a successful and thriving agency that is still active today. She knew Parole Project needed help learning how to fundraise so she reached out to her network of philanthropists, started making some calls, and helped start the Redemption Luncheon — an annual broad-based community fundraising event that brings people together, features a keynote speaker (typically a Parole Project client) who tells their story, and raises money to support Parole Project’s mission.
“I went to one event they had at the Governor’s mansion, and I heard a testimonial from one of the clients whom LPP had helped to reenter life. He had family, maybe, but nothing else. He had found work and had adjusted to life. I thought, this program makes so much sense. If a person pays their debt to society, and we can help them transition to the community, it’s a blessing.”
Nancy attended LSU and graduated with a master’s degree in education. She married Floyd “Flip” Roberts in 1974 while he was in LSU medical school and the two recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have three children — Paul, Andy, and Sage — and five grandchildren. Her five-year-old grandson Leland’s artwork is proudly displayed on a kids’ easel in the corner of her living room near the big white teddy bear that sits on a rocking chair. In the picture, drawn in green marker is a big round head, large smile, and two stick hands come out the side. The portrait is of Fern, whose name is spelled backward in the corner of the canvas. When she talks about her grandchildren, her smile stretches to her ears and she shares pictures of them, pointing out who they are in each picture, their names, what they love to do, and where they live and go to school.
She highlights this year’s Christmas card, a bright blue compilation of their 50th-anniversary trip to Paris. There are two group photos — one in front of the Louvre Museum and one in front of the Eiffel Tower. They are smiling, toothy white grins, and their arms are draped around each other, close and peaceful. On the back of the Christmas card, there are three individual photos of each of her three children and their kids.
Nancy credits her ability to forgive and find peace to her deep spiritual belief. She is a devoted Catholic who regularly attends mass at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, and she practices yoga daily. She loves to bake desserts and cook Louisiana-style foods like gumbo and étouffée. One Christmas her family cooked crepes together. Family holidays are held around their large dining room table.
She loves her family, fights for the underdog, and most importantly believes in second chances.
“When I go to the Parole Project office I want to hear the clients’ stories,” she said. “The energy there is of people who have been through a lot, transformed themselves, and want to work, live a peaceful life.”
