ANN BEATRICE ROBINSON's Obituary
Ann Beatrice Robinson aged 84 years, of Leesburg, Virginia passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family on July 24, 2023.
Ann was born March 16th, 1939, in Horsley, Gloucestershire, England, to Edith and Jack Barham. Ann was married to her beloved husband Robert Rex Robinson (USAF Retired) for 58 years. Together they had three sons, James Selden, Rex Teakle and Paul Edward Arthur Robinson.
Ann was predeceased by her husband Rex and son Paul. She is survived by her brother David Bertrand Barham; sons James (Jay) Selden Robinson, and Rex Teakle Robinson; daughters-in-law; Karyn Marie Robinson and Julie Ann Robinson; grandchildren; Emily Ann Robinson, Andrew (Drew) Paul Robinson, Marley Teakle Robinson, Ryan Patrick Mayer, Addison Michael Mayer, and Cole David Mayer; and her dear friend and companion George Viener.
Ann was a USAF wife of over 20 years and moved throughout the USA extensively with her family in tow, yet she always found time to return to her precious homeland of England. Ann enjoyed hiking in the mountains of Colorado with her dog, travel and fine foods and wine. Ann was an extensive chef/baker and founding member of her community gourmet club. She was instrumental in instilling a love of history and tradition with her three sons. Ann volunteered with the American Red Cross, Altar Guild, Meals on Wheels and was a long-time member of the Church of Ascension. Ann leaves many friends old and new and will be sorely missed by all.
Funeral Service services will be held on Saturday, August 12th, 2023, 11am, at the Church of the Ascension (The Old Stone Church), Centerville, Virginia, with Officiant, Rev. Weaver, pall bearers Jay, Rex, Ryan, Addison and Cole and Drew.
A Celebration of Life will be hosted by Rex and Julie Robinson, at 5481 Rockpointe Drive, Clifton, Virginia immediately following the service.
Interment will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, Ann has requested that a donation be made to the Church of the Ascension.
Please read a detailed historical biography of Ann by her brother David Barham.
Ann was born at Gloucester Royal hospital in March 1939, not an auspicious year in world history. Following the invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia a year earlier another European war was both feared and expected. By this time Ann’s mother had already joined the Gloster Aircraft Company to become part of a large team building Hurricane fighter planes, which together with the Spitfire would defend Britain in the months ahead. With the aircraft works being a prime target, Ann’s parents decided they should relocate their daughter to the countryside to live with her grandparents who ran the properties of Chavenage House (Ann was baptized in their private chappel and Cromwell once stayed there).
These years spent in the countryside would have a lasting effect on a young girl who would develop a lifelong love of nature and animals.
Ann would form her earliest memories during her formative years and recalled going to bed with a hurricane oil lamp and the freighting shadows the flame cast on the walls. But there were happier moments too. Christmas at the farmhouse would be magical. There were also advantages of living in the country during these times. While those living in the cities would suffer shortages, fruit and vegetables would be available on the farm. With almost all goods being rationed and some items rarely available, barter became a currency. An enterprising Uncle Alfie always seemed to find a source for some of these luxury items. A brace of pheasants it seems would secure a box or two of chocolates.
Another memory would perhaps offer a glimpse into the future. By spring 1944 the war had turned decisively in favor of the allies. At this time special units of the US army were billeted on the farm and the movement of arm vehicles became a common sight. Although not aware of the reasons for their presence, she remembered the soldiers throwing candy bars to the children, and these strangers from a foreign land wouldn’t be the last Americans she would encounter.
A year later the war would finally be over, and the young Ann, then 6 years old, would proudly proclaim that her part in Hitler’s downfall was complete. By this time, she had started school and was looking forward to the future and full family life she hadn’t really known yet. By age twelve that long hoped for future seemed secure, and this time Ann revealed her wish for a little brother. Sure enough, a year later her wish became a reality. Perhaps she should have been aware of the expression, “beware of what you wish for”. But like the encounter with the American soldiers, this event would foretell of happy times in the future.
Following graduation Ann went into commerce working in the offices of a local company which had been a prominent manufacturer of ball bearings during the war.
But after a short time the ambitious future woman was already beginning to appear.
Surprising her parents once again, she announced her desire to move to and work in London. Although initially reluctant to agree, they did eventually relent and agreed under certain conditions. Once these conditions were met, London would become her new home. Fortune would favour the teenager, for as London recovered from the war, the capital city would slowly become vibrant once again. Rock an roll had already crossed the Atlantic and the Beatles were about to start their rise in the British music scene. After an initial period of uncertainty and home sickness, Ann quickly discovered several job opportunities in the commercial field, and settled into a bedsit/work routine, which might be associated to the character of Bridget Jones.
London’s wartime night clubs were transitioning into the collective felicity and joy of what became known as the swinging sixties of Carnaby Street and Soho, Bayswater and Mayfair. Bars and clubs such as Ronnie Scott’s, Scotch of St James, and Siegi’s were appearing and attracting celebrities like Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Britain’s Tommy Steele and later George Harrison, John Lennon, and Jagger. Working in an office with other young women and men, Ann would be part of this time of intrigue and riotous behavior which gave a flavour and portrait of this period. This was the height of the Cold War, and American servicemen were frequent visitors to the party scene, and somewhere you might spend your last night on earth. For a brief time, Ann was courted by an Italian count. It was, therefore, not surprising that given the environment in which she moved for a while, a very attractive young women would come to the notice of some of the modeling agencies. Ann would be offered a modeling session and some of her photos would appear in women’s fashion magazines of the day. But this was also a time of social scandal. The John Profumo affair with Christine Keeler and the Soviet naval attaché Yevgeny Ivanov. Kim Philby and the Cambridge four. This became a watershed moment for the young Ann. Realising that life in London, Oxford and especially Cambridge was very different to life elsewhere in Britain, where stout in a workingman's Club was more likely to be served rather than the cocktails and champagne being enjoyed in the glittering bars of the west end. Ann was also aware that fashion modeling could very easily become glamour modeling. Turning her back on a potential modeling career, Ann took up a commercial position in one of London’s well known department stores.
It was also during this time that Ann became acquainted with a tall young NCO serving in England with the US Air Force. He was an Anglophile who loved British culture, from churches and castles to a pint in the local pub. He even drove an MG sports car and took pride in wearing his English sports jacket and cap whenever possible. From similar backgrounds and sharing similar interests, attraction would soon lead to affection. His name was Rex, and within a year Ann had taken him home to meet her parents, which was quickly followed by an engagement announcement. The following year the couple would be married at a wedding ceremony in her home village church of St Micheals and All Angles in Eastington, Gloucestershire.
The newlyweds would move into a traditional English thatched cottage in the Essex countryside, close to the Air Force base of whethersfield where Rex served. Whenever possible they motored throughout Britain in their sports car and ventured into Europe as well. A little more than a year later their first child, Jay, was born. But this Idyllic life would be distributed when Rex received new orders. Instead of being posted to Germany as expected, they found themselves posted to Omaha. In a time when large ocean-going liners regularly crossed the Atlantic and air fares were regulated, long distance travel was well outside the reach of all but the very wealthy. Ann’s parents, especially her mother, thought they would never see her again. But times were already beginning to change. Ann would return home to see her parents just two years after moving to the US, when Ann introduced her recent addition to the family, a second son, Rex. Ann’s mother would visit her in the US in 1968 and again in 1973. By the late seventies Atlantic Air fares had been deregulated, and pioneers like Freddie Laker were introducing no frills flights. By the eighties mother and daughter would be reunited on many occasions, and whole family trips and reunions would become more regular.
Periodically the Robinson family would receive new orders and move from Omaha to Fairborn Ohio, then Colorado Springs and finally to the Pentagon in Washington. These would be fun times filled with new experiences while travelling across America. A third son, Paul, would be born during these years, to complete the family.
At the peak of her husband’s military career Rex would often be away on overseas missions, which meant Ann would be responsible for the whole family and domestic issues. Their last posting to Washington would start with a long car journey across America in the winter. Ann on her own with three children. It was an adventure, which included a breakdown and a little help from a Good Samaritan. After a stop to see her mother-in-law in Wisconsin the journey would be completed. The move to Washington would usher in a new chapter in the chronicles of the family history. Initially it would be hectic with two sons in high school, which would include numerous sporting and other academic activities. As Rex would remain at the Pentagon for the duration of his military career, they would have an opportunity to make new and lasting friendships both within the military and local community. Slowly but surely Ann’s role as mother and homemaker was changing as the years passed. With the youngest son entering high school and the two elder boys approaching their final high school years, at some point the ambitious young woman who had been in hibernation, suddenly resurfaced. At dinner one night, she would announce that she had interviewed for a job and taken the position. It would be a part-time position with a company called Hillcrest which undertook the retail marketing for the pharmacy chain. She would remain with this company for many years and would see her own role change. Eventually the promotions would lead to a position in middle management and of course the benefits which come with such a position. These successes didn’t go unnoticed in the industry and Ann would eventually be headhunted by a large corporation for a position in a senior marketing managerial position. Although it was a dream job, high office also comes with high responsibilities and much greater demands on time. It was a case of the perfect job coming at the wrong time. Realizing very quickly that it would be impossible to fulfill a role as wife and mother, and do justice to her new employer, she felt an obligation to regretfully tender her resignation.
After a short period of rest Ann obtained a new part time position with Burke Optometric. Starting as a receptionist she would once again gradually take on new responsibilities. This in time would lead to a role as an assistant to an eye specialist, but with increased hours as the years passed. By this time Ann’s husband had retired from the military and moved into private industry with Unisys, her children had graduated, yet the pressure of balancing home and work time resurfaced again. This would lead to another life chapter. Ann would leave Burke Optometric and join a private company specializing in security training. With flexible part time hours it would be an ideal position in which Ann would thrive and prosper. In her own words, challenging but also exciting. As Time passed her children would graduate, marry and have children of their own, her grandchildren. When her husband finally retired, Ann decided it was also time to conclude her own successful career path which had exceeded her own modest expectations completely from when she initially started.
While living in Colorado Springs, Ann and Rex had developed a love for that region of the country and promised themselves that one day they would return. With Rex remaining at the Pentagon beyond his initial posting, they had set down routes in Washington and the Northern Virginia, which made it difficult to move. However, In preparation for their joint retirement Ann and Rex had obtained a condominium in Breckinridge, Colorado and they planned to divide the time between both places.
By this time they had also moved into an over 55 community development complex, Lansdowne Woods in Leesburg as part of their plans for their golden years, which they hoped would also include traveling as well. Both within the US and also overseas. This initially started well and included a memorable trip and adventure to Germany for the Christmas markets. Unfortunately, they were never able to fully realise their plans as Rex would be diagnosed with dementia. In spite of this setback they would continue to lead as full a life as possible, until a time when full time care became essential.
The loss of her husband of sixty years would leave a void, which would be impossible to fill. However, Ann vowed to pick up her life and endeavour to fulfill as many plans as possible she and Rex had made for their golden years. Each summer she would drive to Breckinridge to spend three months of the year there. During her twenties she had been an accomplished skier, and would now turn that to hiking in the mountains. An enthusiastic card player, she would join a bridge club. She continued to travel, returning to her English home as often as possible, interspersed with trips to mainland Europe. Her last adventure, a trip to the calvados distilleries in Normandy only being as recent as last September. Together with her brother David, who was now also retired, they travelled throughout the countryside of Normandy visiting the picturesque village of Beauvoir en Auge, the D Day beaches, Pegasus bridge, Bayeux, Caen, Lisieux, Deauville, the Bocage, concluding in a long held wish to see Mont st Michel. Before returning home, she also visited Bletchley Park, the site of the now famous Enigma code breakers. Although the desire to engage in paid work had declined, the wish to remain busy had not, and she took up several opportunities to do charitable work. She was a patriot who never lost the love for the country of her birth, while at the same time also loved the country she had adopted. She remained a leading member of the congregation of the Old Stone church in Centerville. Engaged fully with her many friends at Lansdowne Woods in numerous activities and advents. Attending antique auctions, and developing a long time love of art. above all she enjoyed spending as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren. Always an enthusiastic gardener, wherever she and her family lived, the garden would become forever a corner of England. In short, Ann would lead a full and comprehensive life to the very last moment. Perhaps a woman ahead of her time. Had she been born later, perhaps 1989 instead of 1939, it would be easy to imagine her playing prominent roles in many fields of life.
What’s your fondest memory of ANN?
What’s a lesson you learned from ANN?
Share a story where ANN's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with ANN you’ll never forget.
How did ANN make you smile?
