Years later, Will would face his own devastating diagnosis. He was diagnosed with Stage IV osteosarcoma in January 2025 and endured surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and numerous hospital stays. Despite losing part of his leg and facing an increasingly difficult illness, his family continued to describe him as someone whose faith, humor and determination never disappeared.

Will pᴀssed away on July 23, 2026, at age 15. His obituary remembered him alongside his little sister Charlie and also honored Darby Kate, whose memory remained part of the family’s story.

For Charlie, the loss was therefore not simply the loss of a brother after a long illness. Will’s pᴀssing reopened a much older chapter of grief that the Roberts family had carried for more than a decade.

That connection helps explain why Will’s story has touched so many people. His family had already experienced profound loss, yet they continued to find love, faith and strength together.

Today, Will and Darby Kate are remembered as two children who left an enduring place in the Roberts family — while Charlie remains part of the living story they shared.

Source: Magnolia Chapel Funeral Home – William B. “Will” Roberts obituary