Allen Jb Robinson

Allen JB Robinson
September 25, 2022
Mills River, North Carolina - I have been a habitual reader of obits for half a century and, although I don't know what appeals to other obit readers, I know what grabs me.
I want to know early in the obit how old was the deceased. Was he/she older or younger than me, what did they die from, where they lived and did I have a connection with them or their children or parents.
My date of death was revealed to me back in 2018 in deathclock.com. It gave me a DOD of 12/7/2022. Since I have no way of knowing how correct they have been, I leave it to the reader to ascertain its accuracy. Anyway, I was born in 1946 so you can do the math. As to what killed me, I can't help you there. I don't plan to update this obit if things go wrong.
So I was born in '46, a true baby boomer. Maybe the first - my April birthday was exactly nine months from when my father, Hoke Robinson, arrived back in the states after the War. Consequently I have always ridden the population boom, and my school classes, from first grade to college, were always the largest.
I went through public schools in Columbia, followed by Sewanee, USC and USC Law School. Married my high school sweetheart, Mary, and had three wonderful children (see below). I spent a year teaching at Booker Washington High School in 1968 before Law School, which may have changed a lot of my life and opened my eyes. I worked in a trust department of a local bank in Columbia until 1974 when the bank sent me to Hilton Head where I eventually moved into the brokerage business and stayed in the financial industry forever with various companies. I made a little money for myself and my clients but never was consumed by it.
I played a lot of golf and have never regretted the time and money spent. Really enjoyed playing great courses all over the world. Perfection came five times. Five aces is a perfect poker hand and a good time to quit serious golf, which I did in 2008. Hit and giggle golf was also fun when I stopped being serious. Ninety rounds a year went to ten or less and although the previous skill level was missing, it still gave enjoyment and lots of male bonding.
During my life on Hilton Head I raised three children (which was very rewarding), got out of a marriage, (the process of which was very painful) and got into a new marriage (which has been both rewarding and pain free). Around the middle of the 90s, Maggie and I decided to leave Hilton Head and try a new life in the Western North Carolina mountains.
The new life in the mountains completed the trilogy of Columbia, Hilton Head and WNC. We found a little log cabin on the side of Forge Mountain in Mills River and had a great rest of our life. We fed all the deer and squirrels in the area and made friends with some. Lots of bird feeders and birdhouses. Spent as much money on food for the critters as I used to spend on golf. Money well spent on both.
I found two new passions in my later years that I never knew existed. After buying a turned bowl for a wedding present, I fell in love with woodturning at about age 60. From then until now, I have turned wood in the shop most every day, producing hundreds of bowls, plates, spinning tops, night lights, lamp shades, toothpick holders, birdhouses and lots of treen that may last for centuries after I am gone. Turning wood brought me a lot of satisfaction and completely replaced golf in my life.
The other passion in the later years was the keeping and breeding of flying squirrels. Flyers are utterly captivating little pocket pets and my colony brought me a lot of enjoyment. Besides the satisfaction of successfully raising and breeding a hundred or so, came the satisfaction of introducing flyers to hundreds of people who learned a lot about the little critters from listening to my patter, and some of them adopted my babies and became squirrel moms like me.
Bigger than either of these passions, however, was the enjoyment provided by procreation. I had three kids with Mary and they have produced five grandkids at press time. Maggie's two were eight and ten when I came into their life, and thirty some odd years later they have provided me with three more grandkids. Raising children is an awesome responsibility but extremely rewarding. Watching the grands grow up is just plain fun with no responsibility.
Allen is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Maggie Robinson; his children and their families - Boykin, Jenn, Tyler, & Ryan Robinson, Childsy, Jamie, Maddy, & Annie Art, and Rob, Devon, & Millie Robinson; his stepsons and their families - Courtney, Brody, Saylor, & Bowen Kenneweg and Byron, Coco, & Ocean Kenneweg; his siblings and their spouses - Hoke & Marjorie Robinson, Edmund Robinson & Jacqueline Schwab, Courtney & Jimmy Johnston, and Gus & Maureen Robinson; eleven nieces and nephews; and a seemingly endless number of close friends.
A drop-in reception in Allen's honor will be held on Friday, September 30th at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville from 12pm-3pm, and the family will have a private burial at Carolina Memorial Sanctuary the following day. A celebration of Allen's life will take place in the near future on Hilton Head. In lieu of flowers, he would want you to raise a glass, enjoy nature, and hug your families.