John William Robinson

John William Robinson, 91, of Marion, passed away Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, at The McDowell Hospital. Born Jan. 10, 1926, to Wilburn and Doskie Robinson in Yancey County, he was a longtime lineman and foreman with Duke Energy who could, until the day he died, tell you where and when he helped raise power poles across McDowell County.

John was a man of wit and strength.

He told his daughters that was his bicep on the Arm & Hammer box, and they never doubted him. 

John was a man of ingenuity and thrift.

He could build most anything from his stash of lumber and the vintage hardware – he would have just called it old – he kept in a basement that was his favorite place on earth. John was a man who could surprise you.

He was a homegrown cook, his biscuits and gravy, cornbread and coleslaw the stuff of family legend. 

Late in life, he took on the role of gardener and spent summers propagating porch boxes and hanging baskets that overflowed with lush green “wandering dew.” 

John was a man who held tight to the values he was raised with.

He revered Ford trucks and the extinct American chestnut. He bragged on his kids only when they weren’t in earshot. He expected us all to work hard, to “fly right,” he might have said. He was there as an example in case we forgot exactly what that means.

In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Cuthbertson Robinson; two brothers, Dale and Marvin Robinson; and a sister, Lavada Wilson.

Left to cherish John’s memory (and make gravy inferior to his) are his wife, Florence Finley Young of Marion; two daughters and sons-in-law, Susan and Ronnie Taylor of Marion, and Ragan Robinson and Eric Millsaps of Statesville; a granddaughter, Lacy Taylor Massarani, and her husband Bashar Massarani of Cary;  a nephew, Brently Cuthbertson and his wife Crystal Cuthbertson of Orlando, Fla.; great-grandsons Hudson and Adler Massarani; great-nephews Corbett and Bryson Cuthbertson; two sisters, Hazel Murphy of Gulf Breezes, Fla.  and Thelma Fender of Canton, Ga.; and a number of other nieces and nephews.

A celebration of John’s life will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at East Marion United Methodist Church with Rev. Phillip Tate officiating.  The family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., prior to the service at the church. 

Anyone wishing to make a memorial donation in John’s memory is asked to consider East Marion United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 2481, Marion, North Carolina 28752.