Kevin Robinson
STRATTON - Kevin Gene Robinson, 70, died peacefully on Friday, January 28, with family by his side at the Jack Byrne Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, after a two-year battle with cancer.
Kevin was born on March 24, 1951, at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. He was the youngest of four children born to Francine and Harry Robinson (Tip). Kevin grew up in West Wardsboro until age 12, when he and his family moved to Wilmington in 1963.
Kevin was a phenomenal downhill skier and was the best in southern Vermont at age 12, by points, where he competed in giant slalom and slalom. He went on to race for Stratton Mountain and was later sponsored by the Norse House.
Kevin worked at GS Precision for 43 years, starting at the bottom and working his way up to management. Before that, he worked for Guy Nido in Wilmington, delivering oil. He was a very hardworking man and, when he wasn’t at his day job, he was busy running Robinson’s Repair, fixing small engines and selling Stihl and Solo saws from his Ray Hill home garage. Later, when Kevin’s daughters were old enough to work, he built the cremee stand that was parked at the Viking Motel in Wilmington, so they could have summer jobs and earn money. He wanted to teach them the value of a dollar and how money can be made when you work hard for it. Kevin spent countless hours working alongside his daughters on the weekends and nights after having worked full days at GS.
Kevin loved to give and help out in any way that he could without expecting anything in return. He enjoyed hard work. He hayed every summer, to ensure all the barns were full of hay for the winter, and made sure all the horses were well taken care of. He excavated land to create new gardens for his wife Debbie or anyone who needed something dug up and moved because he had the equipment and loved helping out.
Kevin could fix or build anything. In 2002 he built his dream log home in Stratton with Debbie. Their fall was spent cutting wood and stockpiling 20 cords for the long winters. He designed and built his own wood splitter and then the following year customized it to be fully controlled by his excavator. He was innovative and self-taught.
Kevin loved to volunteer. He was the superintendent of the grounds for the Deerfield Valley Farmers Day Fair for many years, a groomer for the Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers as well as a snowmobile safety instructor. Every Easter he organized and put on the Mason’s Easter egg hunt at the elementary school in Wilmington. Later, after moving to Stratton, Kevin became a Stratton firefighter as well as the treasurer for the Stratton Fire Department. He was also a selectboard member for the town of Stratton.
Kevin enjoyed spending time with family. He loved snowmobiling, camping, skiing, boating, water skiing, dirt biking, motorcycling, gardening, golfing, eating out, and cooking. He loved to hunt, fish, and go ice fishing. He enjoyed sugaring every spring and he made the best maple syrup. He loved to travel and wanted to see all the sites from his RV with his family.
Kevin was the greatest husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend. He always made sure everyone around him was taken care of first. If anyone needed help, he was the first one to offer help or come to the rescue. He only wanted the best for his girls and he loved spoiling his grandchildren. They brought him so much joy.
Kevin was a very humble man but also a jokester, saying “the man who dies with the most toys wins!”
Kevin is survived by his wife of 48 years Deborah Rose Cross; daughter Amber Robinson and husband Casey Munroe and grandson Devin, of North Haven, CT; daughter Ashton Robinson and husband Scott Horwath and granddaughters Blaikie and Ollie, of Searsburg; brother Harry Robinson and wife Clara, of Jamaica; brother Robert Robinson, of Wilmington; sister-in-law Connie Kmec, of Augusta, ME; sister-in-law Jane Waldron, of Wilmington; brother and sister-in-law Mark and Donna Yule, of Wilmington; brother and sister-in-law Kevin and Amanda Butler, of Whitingham; and nieces and nephews Alan Robinson, Travis Robinson, Adam Robinson, Jason Cross, Tanner Yule, Weston Yule, Katey Cross, Cody Yule, and Colton Butler.
Kevin was preceded in death by his father Harry Clifton Robinson, mother Francine Howe Scott Robinson, and brother Alan Scott Robinson.
A graveside service will be held on Sunday, May 1, at 1 pm at the Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington.
