GEORGE ROBINSON

George Baker Robinson 1922 ~ 2011 George Baker Robinson, 88, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on the morning of June 27, 2011 in Salt Lake City. He was born on August 23, 1922 in Oakley, Idaho, son of Loren Jesse Robinson of Oakley and Rosetta Victoria Baker of St. John, Kansas, the sixth of 11 children. George graduated from Oakley Rural High School and received a bachelor's degree in history from the Utah State Agricultural College and a master's degree in Education from the University of Utah. He taught high school in the Salt Lake School District for 38 years, first at Roosevelt Jr. High School, then at West High School. George served in the United States Air Force for three years during World War II, including 32 months in England, France and Germany as a military policeman. In 1946 he married his high school sweetheart, Thelda Critchfield, also of Oakley, Idaho, in the Salt Lake Temple. In 1951 the family, which now included two young boys, moved to Bountiful, Utah. At that time there was only one other house on the street - 1800 South - which did not extend to or beyond Orchard Drive. The population of Bountiful was only 6004. There George and Thelda raised six children: Kirk, Bryan, Kent, Warren, Kathy and Brenda. Besides raising a family, George coached Western Boys Baseball for several years - the Phillies - and was the main agent in the building of the "11th Ward Chapel" at Orchard Drive and Wicker Lane (2000 South). Thelda passed away in 1988 at age 66. Not long after, George was lucky to meet the second love of his life, Joy Skaggs. They were married in 1989 and made their residence in Salt Lake City. George became completely convinced of the truthfulness of the Gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a young age and served it faithfully in many callings throughout his life. He was the first bishop of the Bountiful 11th Ward and the last bishop of the Salt Lake City 8th Ward. He served one mission with his wife Thelda and three missions with his wife Joy, including a mission to Thailand and a mission to Zimbabwe. George and Joy especially loved the people of Zimbabwe and the beauty of their country. George's life was one of service: service to his country, his family, his church, his students and his neighbors. His students loved him, many saying that he was the best teacher they ever had. He was a wonderful husband and father. He was generous to a fault, compassionate, and absolutely honest. He swam for an hour most mornings and loved to read. At the time of his death he was reading No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, a Pulitzer Prize winning book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Funeral Services will be held Friday, July 1, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in the Bountiful 11th Ward Chapel (2000 South Orchard Dr., Bountiful, UT.) Family and friends may call at the Church prior to the service from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Burial will be at the Oakley, Idaho cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that people make a donation to the Perpetual Education Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in George's name. Funeral Directors, Russon Brothers Mortuary. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com