Carl Francis Robinson, 88, passed away on Sept. 19, 2013 at the Village at the Harbour, with his wife of 63 years, Dorothy, and their daughter, Jill, by his side.
Carl (Mickey), son of Laurence L. and Mary Opal (Donaldson) Robinson was born on May 16, 1925 in Yakima, Wash. He was a good student and loved to build model airplanes and gliders.
After graduating from Yakima High School in 1943, he joined the U.S. Army/Army Air Corps. He served in WWII as a 1st Lieutenant instructing pilots in AT-6 (advanced trainer) airplanes. He returned to Yakima after the war, where he attended Yakima Valley College and worked as a crop duster.
In 1950, he married Dorothy Aileen Yates, after five years of dating, following a blind date. During their dating years he disassembled a car and rebuilt it from pieces.
Carl was a serious, contemplative and meticulous person, taking time to make proper decisions. He was also adventurous, becoming a pioneer parachute jumper. Their only child Jill, was born in 1955.
The family moved to Seattle in 1959, where he graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s Degree in Geology. Carl worked for Burlington Northern, testing land for minerals and writing reports and contracts on promising land purchases for the railroad until his retirement at age 58.
His weekends were usually spent at Snohomish Airport, where he was a lifetime member of the Seattle Skydivers Club and made 330 jumps. In 1985, Carl and Dorothy moved to Friday Harbor, Wash.
Carl enjoyed making and sharpening knives, fishing, camping, practicing archery, target shooting, reading, and talking about airplanes and flying. He was an active member of the American Legion, Post No. 163, participating in many events, including the honor guard in parades and funerals.
He was a member of the NRA with a strong belief in the right to bear arms. He was a member of the Republican Party, but more importantly supported politicians who believed and supported the Constitution and Bill of Rights, less federal government control and more people’s rights.
Carl is survived by his wife, Dorothy; daughter, Jill and son-in-law, Ned Bailey; granddaughter, Sara Bailey; grandson, Daniel Bailey, of Tempe, Ariz.; brother, L.A. (Hap) Robinson; and nephews Todd and Pat Robinson of Anacortes, Wash.
Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel and Crematory, Anacortes and the San Juan Islands. To share memories of Carl, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com.
— Family of Carl Robinson
