Roberta Roland Weeks was two years old in 1928 when "You're the Cream in My Coffee" became a hit. Its lyric "You're the sail of my love boat, you're the captain and crew" may sum up the sentiment of those who remember and loved her.

Roberta, or "Bert," as she was affectionately called, died October 29 of cancer. Her husband Ben, who died in 1987, helped establish Leckenby Steel, founded on Harbor Island by William S. Leckenby who later served in the State House of Representatives. Hundreds packed Fauntleroy Church for her memorial.

A longtime West Seattle resident, the mother of six was born in Nahant, Mass. They moved to Seattle in 1946, where she loved to sail small boats, and would captain a Valiant 40 also named "Roberta" with Ben.

"Anywhere you'd look in her house there were heart shaped items she'd collect, some found by friends on the beach," said Sonia Baker, Weeks' close friend of 45 years, and a retired professional urban and cultural planner. "Bert made jewelry out of them. She made the comment that these hearts had to be fat. That is the best kind. We agreed that skinny hearts were pinched, and not being fulfilled.

"She attended Fauntleroy Church's Thursday Scripture meetings to discuss the following Sunday's service. Her questions stretched people, whether they accepted her or not. Very often the church makes assumptions about how it's always been, but she helped people think out of the box. Look where we are in history, nationally, politically, and economically. Things are up for grabs. The church is up for grabs the same way, but Bert was really into making our church relevant.

"Bert once told me 'I never see a child anywhere I don't give a smile to. That might be the only smile they get.' Guess who else says that? I wouldn't be who I am without her."

"Bert was an inspiration to a lot of woman," said Fauntleroy Church Pastor David Kratz. "She had a kind of style, read the latest books, new about fashion, knew how to bridge generations. She would say 'Do not lose your soul. Lose your stereotype. Be your own person.' Sometimes she could be a little blunt.

"She had a unique religious journey. God was important to her to understand what we were supposed to do with our time. She didn't have much good to say to (congregants) who had a narrow understanding. She had an explosive, expanded view. We'd have great conversations on the meaning of life. Platitudes just didn't work. We're going to miss her."

"We used to sing Christmas carols around the table at the Weeks' house, and Roberta led the sing-a-longs," recalled Steve Daschle, director of Southwest Youth and Family Services. Weeks chaired its capital campaign. Daschle was reached by phone in Aberdeen, South Dakota, while visiting his mother. It is special being home with my mom now. It makes me miss Bert all the more."

"My early political involvement started when I was quite young, when my parents were involved with fighting for open housing in Seattle," said Tom Weeks, 52, former Seattle City Council member and Monorail Board Chairman. "My dad had an African American friend prohibited from living in certain West Seattle neighborhoods in the early 60's. My parents brought us to rallies when I was very young, and when the city finally adopted open housing, we saw the impact we had made for the good. So I went on to public life."

He said that his mother "cared passionately about education," and prior to Seattle politics he attended Middlebury College in Vermont, then got his PhD at Harvard.

Tom said being the youngest gave him a unique outlook. "The house was filled with my older brothers and sisters, but as they moved out they created empty space and my mom filled it with people in need, sometimes for six months. I just thought this is what all people do. The minister would call my mom to place a kid from a troubled family. They often had a different cultural and ethnic background. It made our house an interesting place and broadened my horizons."

Tom's sister, Vicki Jones, 53, is the second youngest sibling. She earned a Masters at Harvard. She directs the Global Program at Lakeside School, and facilitates student summer trips to the developing world.

"Our home was filled with books," said Vicki. "My mom belonged to a book group, and read a book a week, and I mean Proust and everything. She had an old worn copy of 'Gone With the Wind' with its cover falling off, and told me to check out another copy from the library. I started it as soon as I left the library and stopped under a tree to read. I got so involved. I got her copy after she died.

"Our parents wanted us to understand what the 60's were about. There was nothing we could do to get us kicked out of the house. Mom would ask, 'Why are you growing your hair long? Why aren't you showering? Why are you dropping out a semester to hike in the mountains?' We were rebellious and they were open to discussing issues."

"Women threw themselves into helping their husbands. When our dad died, our mom went through the process of coming into herself," said Vicki's brother, John, 57, who publishes www.theintegratorblog.com and is establishing a naturopathic network of care giving. "She went to counseling to transition, and, to her credit, it was a proactive use of counseling."

"Where I grew up it was my friends' second home, or the home they wished they'd had," said the oldest Weeks brother, Bob, 59. "Mom would look you in the eye when you were talking," said Bob, a mental health counselor in West Seattle. "She was personally present to you.

"We enjoyed walking in Lincoln Park, and seeing the birds, trees, water. We'd go on exquisite vacations. On her eightieth birthday she took 20 of us including her grandkids into the Costa Rican jungle. "

They'd also visit Bob's twin sister Wendy in the Peruvian Andes, where she operates a hotel and trekking business, and all would visit Machu Picchu. Roberta's children recall that she was struck by its mystical beauty and culture.

The eldest child, Pam, 61, founded Seattle's first lesbian resource center and said her mom was very supportive.

"Bert was quite a spectacular woman, a very wise community leader," said Kim Sheridan, director, Fauntleroy Children's Center. Weeks was the president of the advisory board of the center for over 20 years. "The Seattle School District just accepted our offer to buy our school building we were leasing from them since 1981. She lived to see the deal coming together, and was so excited that the students and teachers would now be able to stay."

Steve Shay may be reached at steves@robinsonnews.com