The Roe Sisters
John and Rosanna Roe raised four daughters in the family’s home at Johnson Drive and Roe Avenue. These four daughters inherited a large portion of the land their father had acquired, which allowed them to help shape the progress of the city of Roeland Park. For many years, they retained ownership of the land, but because of taxes owed, eventually began to sell pieces of land to developers and to give land to the city and to selected organizations. As adults, the sisters actively supported several civic causes, and through donations and sales of land, assisted the city’s development.
One of the more prominent gifts of land occurred during the late 1950s, when large numbers of families with young children lived in Roeland Park. A donation of land by the Roe sisters allowed the city of Roeland Park to increase its recreational facilities and better serve the community by building its first public swimming pool in Alban Roe Park. The pool opened on July 54, 1957, and was a great success.
The sisters were members of the St. Agnes Catholic Church, which was one of their favored causes. The Roes supported their church over several decades by donating land to the Institute of Notre Dame de Sion and the St. Agnes parish, which was used for a church expansion and the construction of the St. Agnes School.
All four sisters spent much of their adult lives in Roeland Park. One sister, Ellen Roe Bryant, lived in the family home until her death in 1951. Katherine Roe became a lawyer and practiced in Chicago for 20 years, before returning to Johnson County. After several years of living and working in Chicago, Margaret and Isabella also moved back to Roeland Park. The two sisters lived in the Roe home together for many years until it was demolished in 1958. At that time, the two sisters moved to a smaller home on Roe land.
Throughout their lives, the Roe sisters were well-regarded in the community of Roeland Park because of their generosity, enthusiasm, and commitment to the city. In 1961, the last Roe sister, Isabella, passed away at the age of 106.
--ALBUM vol. 10, no. 3 (summer 1997)