Roberta L. Gore

Roberta Lee (Marino) Gore was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 21, 1954, to Eugene Rocco and Angela "Lee" Marino. Proudly Italian, she grew up opposite the Canarsie Theatre. Much of her colorful childhood was spent in her parents’ hair salons, where they worked to give her a taste for a bigger life. 

Her father introduced her to ballroom dancing and window shopping, new foods and horses, and experiences that encouraged curiosity about the world beyond. She inherited his athleticism and passed on his love of movement, competition, and trying new things to her children. 

A bright child, Roberta did well academically, had a strong social life, and developed a hunger for fun and exciting experiences. At fifteen, she went to Woodstock. Later, she frequented CBGB in the East Village and then Studio 54. 

Roberta met Bertis “Bert” Elwood Gore, Jr. at a bowling alley. They married in 1975 and began building their life. Their 51-year marriage took them from South Orange to Chester and Mendham, New Jersey, to Long Beach Island, and eventually to Bluffton, South Carolina. 

Roberta was artistic and stylish. She painted and sculpted, designed clothes, and was often well “ahead of trend.” Channeling her talents, she and her husband co-owned a clothing company and three Mon Ami clothing stores. 

Funny, quick-witted, and sarcastic, Roberta laughed easily. She was the mother children and adults alike wanted to claim as their own. People she had just met felt like old friends before long. She delighted in hosting and feeding people. Her affection was generous and unmistakable, even when accompanied by the stubbornness of a woman who knew her own mind. 

An athlete throughout life, Roberta took up handball and racquetball before moving on to tennis, which became a lifelong love. For years, she played most days and especially loved Long Beach Island’s clay courts. Later, pickleball gave her a new way to compete, laugh, and be with friends. 

Her children, Robert, Alexis, and Morgan, were the center of her life. Fiercely devoted to them, she supported their interests in sports, the arts, and more. She drove them everywhere and “tolerated” punk music at full volume until she began to like it herself. Later, her grandchildren brought her a new kind of joy. 

Roberta loved relaxed days on Long Beach Island, reading poolside and watching her youngest take out the boat. She adored the ocean even though she was afraid to swim in it. Alongside her husband, she traveled to the Caribbean, Italy, Costa Rica, and Mexico. In later years, she savored trips to Maine—exploring Monhegan Island and visiting Owls Head Lighthouse—and to Folly Beach, Charleston, and California too. 

Roberta treasured animals, including horses and birds, but most especially her dogs, Otis, then Maximus, and finally Thor. She loved everyday pleasures: morning coffee, sunshine, Swedish Fish, chocolate in any form, movies with wit and women in charge, and delicious food. She made her mother’s family recipes—Sunday sauce and Sicilian cauliflower pasta and Frosia—without ever measuring a thing. She simply knew. Her family is now working to capture these recipes so her cooking and memories of it live on. 

Unfailingly adaptable, Roberta met life’s unexpected challenges with strength, flexibility, humor, and dignity. She found ways to enjoy herself almost anywhere, because what mattered most to her was the company. 

For more than six years, long beyond her original prognosis, Roberta battled a rare and aggressive Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma. She fought hard because she loved living. In her final months, life became simpler, but not smaller in spirit. Roberta found joy in family visits, expressing love, and savoring small delights. She continued to notice beauty and cherish her people, fulfilling her promise “to enjoy life for as long as possible.” 

Roberta Lee Gore died on October 1, 2026, in Bluffton, South Carolina. 

She is survived by her husband, Bertis Elwood Gore, Jr.; her children, Robert Gore (Yoseline Gore), Alexis Meeks (Jeremy Meeks), and Morgan Gore (Annie Stimson); her grandchildren, Luca and Hayden Meeks; her brother, Jory Marino (Sonya Marino); her beloved friend, Paul Campbell; and her loyal lab, Thor. She was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene and Angela Marino, and her younger brother, Eugene Marino, Jr.

 Honoring her wishes, there will be no viewing or funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roberta’s memory to the MUSC Foundation / Hollings Cancer Center, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, SC 29425, or online at giving.musc.edu. 

Perhaps the best way to remember Roberta is to embody her spirit by laughing easily, loving fiercely, forgiving, playing hard, feeding loved ones, and not worrying much about measuring ingredients.