Robert Melton Robinson

May 22, 1939 -

Dec 13, 2020

On Dec. 13, 2020, Robert "Rob," "Bob" Robinson, husband of Sandi and father to four children, went home to visit the Lord. He was 81.

He was born in Prosser, Wash., and he graduated high school at R.A. Long High School in Longview, Wash., in 1957. He served in the 82nd Airborne from 1957 through 1960, when he then returned to Longview, and became the manager of Regal Gas Stations. After Regal Gas Stations, he drove semi-truck for Ed Pellham of Kalama, Washington. His route was from Longview to Las Vegas. After trucking he worked for Reynolds Aluminum in their Carbon Plant, also in Longview. In April 1972, he reconnected with an old high school friend named Sandi Darland Davis. They began dating and were married on July 2, 1972, in Reno, Nev.

In spring 1974, the Robinsons moved to Alaska, where Sandi had been offered a job running an appraisal office. Rob found a job managing another gas station and their new life began.

In 1975, Rob went to work for J.B. Gottstein as a long-haul truck driver, where many weeks he drove the food to the pipeline camps which were in Prudhoe Bay. He was one of the first real ice road truckers and always hated that other trucking companies who did not drive the pipeline roads for many years after that claimed to be the original ice road truckers. In the 15 years that Rob drove trucks, he never had a wreck or scratched anything. He was a great driver and meticulous in his work.

In 1989, Rob took early retirement from Gottstein because of a back injury. He then went to work for Anchorage School District, where he was the assistant to his daughter Carrie who worked in Risk Management. In 2000, Carrie left ASD, and her mother, Sandi, took her place. Sandi and Rob worked together until 2013 when he retired, and she in 2015. They liked to travel in their motor home and visited many exciting places.

Rob loved NASCAR racing and old custom cars. He owned a 1940 Merc which was mostly finished at one time and then did not survive the second rebuild.

Rob is survived by his wife, Sandi; and children, Carrie Kay, Ward Davis, Blaine Davis and Robert Rayce Robinson. He had seven grandchildren: Zack Kay, Robert Rayce Robinson Jr., Kassandra Kay, Taylor Davis, Jacob Wade and Hayden Davis. He also had one great-grandchild, Robert Rayce Robinson III.

He is also survived by his sisters, Shirley McCluskey and Betty Osborne; brother, Gordon Fay Robinson; and many nieces and nephews, all in Washington state. He was a wonderful, funny man who had more friends than any of us can count. He will be greatly missed!

A Celebration of his Life will be held in the spring.