MARILYN GERTRUDE ROBINSON

MARILYN GERTRUDE ROBINSON
Born: Dec. 25, 1931; in Eureka
Died: July 13, 2010; in Batavia

Marilyn Gertrude Robinson, 78, of Batavia, died suddenly on Tuesday, July 13, 2010.

Born in Eureka, Illinois on December 25, 1931, to Dale S. Robinson and Altjen (Heiken) Robinson, Marilyn was preceded in death by a sister, Winifred Robinson and a brother, Dale H. Robinson.

She attended schools in El Paso, Illinois, and graduated from El Paso High School in 1949. She received a bachelor's degree in Education from Illinois State Normal University in 1960 and a master's degree in Business Education from Northern Illinois University in 1966 and she later took an additional year of education courses at Northern.

Marilyn taught Business Education at Tower Hill High School, Tower Hill, Illinois for four years, at Cornell High School, Cornell, Illinois for two years and at Batavia High School, Batavia, Illinois for 22 years, from where she retired in 1988.

Following her retirement she worked for several years as secretary to the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence and coordinated the Batavia Public Library Writers' Workshop for 17 years, helping a number of fledgling authors get their works published. She volunteered at the Batavia Historical Society and had served on the board of directors since 1990 and as the society's historian.

Her many free-lance writing projects included historical columns for the Windmill Herald, a Batavia newspaper. After it ceased publication she wrote weekly historical columns for the Kane County Chronicle for four years.

In 1989 Marilyn wrote Little Town in a Big Woods, a children's history of Batavia, now in its third edition. The school district has used the book in its classrooms ever since and Marilyn regularly visited with third graders. She has written several other local history books, including The Sidewalks of Elburn.

For her many contributions to Batavia she was named Citizen of the Year in 1995.

Her survivors include an adopted family – Jeff and Elizabeth Spalding, Frances Spalding Perry and Julia Spalding, many close friends and associates, and several first cousins.

Visitation is scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at Moss Family Funeral Home, 209 S. Batavia Avenue, Batavia.

A celebration of life will begin at 7 p.m., where all friends are welcome to share their favorite story or memory. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence P.O. Box 1003 Batavia, IL 60510.

For additional information contact Moss Family Funeral Home 630-879-7900 or go to www.mossfuneral.com.

Please sign the guest book at www.legacy.com/kcchronicle