Wayne Roberts reaches over and touches his wife Lynne Roberts’ shoulder as she gazes out a window in their home on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 in Butte. “I’ve been preparing for this for 13 years,” Wayne said while speaking about being Lynne’s caregiver. “She was 9 years older than I was when I married her. I thought this might be something that I would have to do.”
Lynne Roberts looks at Wayne Roberts as he gently touches her shoulder on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. “My love for her in a lot of ways has grown because of what she’s going through,” said Wayne. “And all I can do for her is to make it as easy for her as I can.”
Wayne Roberts looks over at Lynne Roberts after she completed an in-home occupational therapy session on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. When Wayne first moved in with Lynne, all he had was a bag of clothes and a stick bag for his drum sticks. “I’m not just her caregiver, she’s mine,” Wayne said.
Wayne Roberts reaches out to hold his Lynne Roberts’ hand as they leave their home before driving to Soho Asian Cuisine for lunch on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. As Lynne’s mobility decreased, she and Wayne went out to travel, to eat, and for entertainment less and less. It became a rare occurrence for the couple to leave the house for non-medical reasons.
Wayne Roberts delivers a bundle of newspapers to the Safeway in Dillon on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Wayne’s bundle delivery route is 158 miles, which he drives three days a week in all weather conditions. Wildlife collisions, while not frequent, are not uncommon when driving this route. Winter conditions greatly increase the route difficulty, particularly when Montana Highway 41 has not yet been plowed.
Wayne Roberts eats a light meal late Monday night, Aug. 28, 2023 while waiting for the newspaper truck to arrive from Helena. Wayne works night shifts performing bundle delivery for The Montana Standard which can take him into the early morning hours to complete. This allows Wayne to work when Lynne is sleeping, and to be home with her when she is awake.
Wayne Roberts displays his phone showing a live video feed of his home on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. As Lynne’s dementia and health condition worsened, Wayne installed cameras with two-way microphones into his home so he and Lynne could communicate easily when he was out delivering newspapers in the dead of night. Wayne’s absence could cause Lynne to become distraught if she woke up in the middle of the night and he was not there.
Wayne Roberts walks out of the Safeway on Harrison Avenue with flower for Lynne Roberts to celebrate the anniversary for the day they met on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 in Butte. Yellow was Lynne’s favorite color.
Lynne Roberts smiles as her Wayne Roberts helps her out of their car and into a power chair prior to their Walmart shopping trip on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. While the power chair solved certain issues for Lynne, it did present others. In part due to Lynne’s reduced motor control, operating the power chair was challenging for her and on a small number of occasions she bumped into various objects and displays during their trip.
Lynne Roberts looks over at Wayne Roberts as he speaks to Dr. Serena Brewer during a medical appointment on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 at the Southwest Montana Community Health Center. Lynne had difficulty understanding others when they would speak to her, but she would understand when Wayne repeated their words back to her. In many ways, Wayne was her medical advocate and liaison to the world.
Wayne Roberts reaches over to give Lynne Roberts her medication on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. As dementia progressed, lynne’s ability to manage her own day-to-day activity decreased.
Wayne Roberts helps Lynne Roberts try on a pair of pajamas they purchased at Walmart on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Lynne’s limited mobility makes changing her own clothes difficult.
Lynne Roberts makes her way through the kitchen back to her recliner after using the bathroom early Wednesday morning on Feb. 14, 2024. Wayne followed her to ensure her safety regardless of time of day as she started to fall and injure herself. Their dog Brody was also nearby.
Wayne Roberts reaches up to turn out the light for the night as Lynne Roberts is already sound asleep, on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. They started spending the night in their two recliners, which accommodated Lynne’s limited mobility. Wayne chose to be next to Lynne, where they slept side-by-side for four years.
The warmth from the Roberts’ house illuminates a cold winter morning on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. While Wayne was at work, on April 6, Lynne wandered out of the house wearing nothing but pajamas and socks. It was 28 degrees. Wayne saw her leave through the two-way camera he installed, and raced home to find her clutching a fence. “Where are you going, baby,” Wayne asked Lynne, later when they were inside again. She told him she was going home.
Wayne Roberts comforts his wife Lynne Roberts after she struggled to get out of her recliner for a bath with a home health aid on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. This marked the first time the Roberts’ accepted in-home health care services, which reflected Lynne’s need for medical assistance outside of Wayne’s capabilities.
Nichole Newby, a home health aide, helps Lynne Roberts bathe while her husband, Wayne Roberts, watches on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024 inside their home. Wayne remodeled the house to accommodate Lynne’s needs. Lynne took a liking to Nichole, but said, “I’d rather take my own bath.”
Nichole Newby and Wayne Roberts help Lynne Roberts back to her recliner after a bath on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. In addition to a full bath once a week, a home health aide came over twice a week to give Lynne a sponge bath.
The Roberts sleep next to each other in their recliners early morning on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Three nights a week when Wayne delivers papers into the early morning, he catnaps between finishing work and the time that Lynne wakes up. He sleeps next to Lynne so that he can be available if she wakes up in the middle of the night. “My goal is to make her last part of life fright free,” Wayne said. “I never want her thinking she has to go alone.”
Lynne Roberts, now in hospice, holds Wayne Roberts’ hand while laying in bed on Monday, May 27, 2024. Due to difficulty swallowing, Lynne has moved away from solid foods, and drinks water through a straw or by sucking on a wet sponge. “This is no way to live,” Lynne said.
Lynne Roberts rests after Wayne Roberts administers her medication on Friday, May 17, 2024. “It tastes like shit,” Lynne had previously said with a chuckle. Among other drugs, Lynne was taking doses of morphine and methadone to help manage her pain.
Hospice Nurse Tina Pfertsh lifts Lynne Roberts’ head while adjusting her pillow as Wayne Roberts comes to help on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Lynne began hallucinating, and saying she wanted to go home. Wayne suspected she was talking about her old ranch in northwestern Montana. “I loved it,” Lynne said of her old home. “I never should have sold it. All the wide open spaces…And there were no close neighbors. You could have any animal you wanted…I had several horses and dogs. It was wonderful.”
Yellow roses from Wayne Roberts rest in a vase above Lynne Roberts as she rests in a hospital bed on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at home. “She was one of the toughest women I’ve ever been involved with,” said Wayne. “And smart - you couldn’t get anything past her. She could see a fool a mile away and now she can’t see what’s three feet in front of her.”
Wayne Roberts grasps the hand of an employee with Axelson Funeral & Cremation Services as Lynne Roberts’ body is taken away after her death that morning on Thursday, June 6, 2024. “I feel so torn,” Wayne had previously said of Lynne dying. “I feel like my heart has been ripped in two and left with jagged edges. One side of it doesn’t want to let her go. And the other sure wishes that she would peacefully cross.”
Wayne Roberts stands alone in his living room on Thursday, June 6, 2024, next to the chairs where he and his late wife Lynne Roberts spent the last four years of their lives. In April, Wayne reflected on their lives together: “I think that every situation has its own flavor,” he said. “Go with your heart. Love every moment for what it’s worth. Don’t expect anything. Don’t plan anything. Live every day the best you can.”
Wayne Roberts divides the ashes of his late wife Lynne Roberts into small containers for family members on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Wayne moved out of their home almost immediately after Lynne’s death. She was cremated without a funeral. “There’ll never be another one like her,” said Wayne. “There just won’t be.”
Wayne Roberts cuts vegetables while preparing lunch on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 at a friend’s home in Butte, where he is now living.