Robin Lynn Heywood

Robin Lynn Heywood, 52, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, of complications directly related to Muscular Dystrophy with her loving husband of twenty-four years, Sean, by her side. Robin was born on July 15, 1973, in Woodsville, New Hampshire, to David G. Stimson and Judith L. (Robinson) Stimson. Robin was a loving, supportive, and devoted wife.

Robin grew up on the family farm on Route 135 in Bath, New Hampshire. She was very close growing up to her younger sister Davalyn and her Gram and Grampa Stimson who lived on the farm property just across the driveway. Robin often spoke of happy childhood memories of time spent with Davalyn and her Gram Stimson. At just 11 years old Robin began to participate in the workings of the family farm by helping her mom and dad raise the newborn calves. Robin's childhood on the family farm, along with her natural curiosity and love of the natural world, fostered a lifelong love and appreciation for all animals and a commitment to the care and welfare of all of God's creatures. Robin cared deeply about the environment and supported environmental protection. She was always very interested in all things related to the weather and paid close attention to the forecast each day. There was so very much that Robin loved about animals and the natural world, but one particular enjoyment of Robin's was hearing the peepers in the spring. When Robin was a child, she would collect tadpoles from the wetlands on the farm and care for them every day by replacing their water with fresh water from the farm's wetlands. She would tend to them each day and patiently watch as the tadpoles became frogs. She would then release them back into the farm's wetlands. Though always well fed and cared for, on Christmas day Robin was known to give the calves in her care extra grain. From childhood, Robin worked for many years on the family farm alongside her mom and dad. Robin's primary responsibility on the family farm was caring for and raising up the newborn calves but she assisted her mom and dad with any job that needed to be done, be it cleaning the barn or bringing in hay from the fields. Robin knew the particulars of each cow on the farm because she raised them and cared for them. Robin recognized and understood the uniqueness of all of God's creatures and that all life is special. Robin's mom and dad recognized Robin's dedication, hard work, and competence and understood that her contributions were integral to the farm's success. She was irreplaceable.

Robin attended graded school in Woodsville and junior high at Haverhill Academy. Robin graduated from Woodsville High School in 1991. Robin enjoyed playing soccer for Woodsville while in high school. She continued her education and graduated in 1995 from Vermont Technical College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. Robin's career path varied over the years. She worked on the family farm for many years. She was a veterinary technician at Ryegate Small Animal Hospital. It was through Robin's employment at Ryegate Small Animal Hospital that she would meet her husband Sean on a blind date. Robin was a cashier in the Woodsville McDonald's drive through for quite some time as well. Robin's career path finally took her to the Walmart store in Woodsville. She was an original employee of the Woodsville store and was always proud that she had helped to get the store set up for its initial opening. She was employed by Walmart for 13 years as a cashier and service desk associate until early in the year 2020 when the threat of Covid was too serious to ignore because of her fragile health. Robin was always a friendly and chipper employee who many customers looked forward to seeing. Many of Walmart's customers would make it a point to go through Robin's line even if it meant waiting. Robin was always a dedicated employee and a good worker until the Muscular Dystrophy made her physically no longer able to be.

Robin lived in Bath, New Hampshire throughout her childhood. After reaching adulthood, she briefly lived in Cohoes, New York and Essex, Vermont before returning to her hometown of Bath. Robin really never wanted to be far away from home and family. After a time back home in Bath, Robin met her future husband Sean and the two were later married on July 21, 2001. She so often reminisced about what a completely beautiful day that was. Together, Robin and Sean made their home for twenty years in Monroe, just up the road from where Robin grew up. Robin and Sean eventually returned home to family property that had belonged to Robin's mom and dad in the town of Bath.

As a young woman, Robin enjoyed riding her horses, Kelsey, Prince, and especially her beloved horse Lady. She greatly enjoyed family trips to Pittsburg, New Hampshire. Young and newly married, she and Sean enjoyed trips to the southern coast of Maine, country music concerts, the Fryeburg fair, and annual overnight shopping trips to Concord, New Hampshire for Christmas gift shopping, most always bringing along Robin's younger sister Davalyn. Robin's fondest travel memories were of her and Sean's honeymoon to Niagara Falls and again to Niagara Falls for her and Sean's tenth anniversary. Although walking would become difficult for Robin, she was always up for a ride in the car, be it a road trip, or just an afternoon ride on the area country roads. She always hoped to see wildlife while out for a ride as long as it wasn't right in front of her. Back at home she greatly enjoyed watching the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks at her bird feeders. Robin knew each and every species that visited her and loved seeing them all.

Robin was always very family-oriented and enjoyed the holidays and family gatherings immensely. Never would she forget a family birthday, and she always made certain to have cards and gifts for her loved ones. Robin was festive and enjoyed decorating for the holidays. Robin's favorite holiday was Halloween, and she especially enjoyed seeing her nieces and nephew and later on her great niece and great nephew dressed for trick or treating in their Halloween costumes.

Robin did not have human children of her own, but she found great happiness in her nieces, Caiti and Carrie and in her nephew Michael. Robin babysat her nieces and nephew when they were little and took great pleasure in watching their lives unfold as they each grew and matured into fine adults that she was proud of. Later on, Robin found much happiness and joy in the young lives of her great niece Piper and great nephew Jackson. She was especially happy the day that Jackson came down to visit on his own and all by himself. Robin was very close to her aunt Laury and her cousins Kinsley and Jaime growing up and remained so into Kinsley's and Jaime's adulthoods. She always looked forward to updates and pictures of Kinsley's and Jamie's children. Robin shared an especially close bond with her grandmother Audrey Robinson. Robin was always able to talk to Gram Robinson about anything for which she was very grateful. Gram Robinson was always both a confidante and a kindred spirit to Robin. She enjoyed Gram Robinson's company and their conversations immensely.

Although Robin did not have human children of her own, she and Sean had three little Australian Cattle Dogs that were a source of great joy, happiness, and adventure. Cobbie, Joey, and Fawkesy along with a cherished cat named Harold were all extremely special to Robin and Sean and were family. They were children to Robin and Sean. Cobbie, Joey, Fawkesy, and Harold were all graces from God that allowed Robin and Sean to experience some of the joys of family life.

Robin was a kind, compassionate, and empathetic person. Though stricken with a debilitating and progressive disease she so very often thought of the needs of others and so very often placed the needs of others above those of her own. Robin was a wonderful wife. Sean was truly blessed by his marriage to Robin. She took care of him every bit as much as he took care of her.

Robin was intelligent and had a sharp mind. She was clever and insightful. She had an excellent and detailed memory. She was honest and straightforward, the only exception being when she was sneakily seeking the necessary information for a surprise gift for a loved one.

Robin's family suffered a very disproportionate amount of trauma, grief, and loss over the past eleven years. On top of this she and Davalyn both suffered from Muscular Dystrophy. Though Robin was a strong person mentally and emotionally she was completely devastated when her younger sister Davalyn passed away. Robin and Davalyn were not only sisters, they were best friends.

Robin believed in God. She was a spiritual person with strong convictions. Robin professed a belief in spirit beings and that life and conscious being do not end with the physical death of the body. She carried an angel pendant in her purse that represented her guardian angel that she believed in. Like so many of us though, it was very hard for Robin to come to faith in Jesus Christ and to come to a faith that there truly is a just, righteous, almighty, and sovereign god because of the trauma, loss, grief, and disease that her family has suffered with over the past eleven years. This was in addition to all of the evils, injustices, suffering, and despair in the world around us that Robin was keenly aware of. When Robin's beliefs and convictions were questioned or challenged, she would reply, "I believe what I believe and that's what I believe." Although Robin was not known to be a professed Christian, she displayed so many Christian qualities in her life and all the more so as she got older. Robin really and truly displayed in her life, love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith, qualities known to many as the fruits of the Spirit. Robin was content to live within her means and was content with the necessities of life. She was neither materialistic nor ever felt the need to show off or to compete with others. Robin was modest. Robin was loyal. Robin was a peacemaker.

She was predeceased by her parents, David and Judith Stimson; grandparents, Wallace A. Stimson and Clara H. Stimson; grandfather, Fred Robinson; dear younger sister, Davalyn Anne; and beloved Australian Cattle Dogs, Cobbie, Joey, and Fawkesy; special cat, Harold; and her special horse, Lady.

Robin is survived by her loving husband, Sean Heywood of Bath, NH; grandmother, Audrey Robinson of North Haverhill, NH; sister, Carmen Stimson Graham of Landaff, NH; niece, Caiti Fullerton, her husband Justin, and their children Jackson and Piper of Bath, NH; niece, Carrie
Vogt, and her partner Brian Mallet of Bath, NH; nephew, Michael Vogt and his Fiancée Evynne Gartner of Salisbury, NH; aunt, Laury Theriault and her husband Paul of Monroe, NH; cousin Jaimie Anderson, her husband Ryan, and their daughter of Monroe, NH; cousin Kinsley Sicard, her husband Nathan of Barton, VT and their children; mother-in-law Rachel Kittredge of Barnet, VT; brother-in-law Justin Heywood, his wife Michelle, and their children of St. Johnsbury, VT; sister-in-law, Carolyn Picazio, her husband Steve, and Carolyn's children of Montpelier, VT; and her special friend, Lorraine Blake and her husband Dean of St. Johnsbury,
VT.

Donations in memory of Robin can be made to The Muscular Dystrophy Association, Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Association, New Hampshire Food Bank, or an animal rescue or shelter of choice.

A celebration of Robin's life will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025, starting at 11 AM at Ricker Funeral Home & Cremation Care of Woodsville.

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