Robin Smith

Robin Gail Smith, of St. Petersburg, Florida, passed away peacefully in her home on Saturday, November 1st. She was 69 years old. She went home to God from the same place she arrived to make all of our lives better: in Florida. An enchanted place where she grew up, started her impressive career, and wove a rich tapestry of friends.

Robin was born July 6, 1956 in Ft. Myers, Florida, to Milton Elwood Smith and Margaret Clara ("Mickey") Smith. She graduated Ft. Myers High School in 1974, and earned her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice at the University of South Florida in 1978. Attending USF sparked her lifelong love and connection to the Tampa/St. Pete area. She lost her cherished parents far too young; but she always talked about how grateful she was for how much they loved her and what they taught her. Anyone who knew and loved Robin knew her mother Mickey was a "saint" (she truly was), and that her father inspired a love of education that enriched her life. She idolized her older brothers, Ronald ("Ronnie") and Roger. Even though Robin lived out a stunning career in Tampa, Miami, and in Washington, D.C., Ft. Myers was never far from her heart. Some of her favorite days were spent in Ft. Myers, enjoying Roger's Michelin-star meals and Ronnie's crazy stories that made her hurt from laughing so hard. She considered their spouses, Kathy and Mary Lynn, to be her sisters. Robin also loved and spoiled her nieces and nephew as if they were her own.

In her professional life, Robin was a leader and a brilliant businesswoman. She started as an administrative assistant at Northwestern Mutual in Tampa in 1984. By 1993, she had earned her M.B.A. from the University of Tampa, became a full asset manager for their Miami field office in 1997, and moved to the Washington D.C. office in 2002. She became a Director of Asset Management by 2017. Known as the "Queen of Sold" by her colleagues, Robin sold 43 commercial and luxury properties totaling over $1.5 billion during her career. She was charismatic and unflappable, keeping difficult deals together and project managing real estate developments in the tough markets of Manhattan, Boston, and D.C. Her Kensington project in Boston was named the top apartment project in the country by JTurner in 2014 and has been in the top 5 rankings ever since. What made the Kensington, and her other projects, so successful was her knowledge of managing complex construction projects and her unmatched skills in interior design.

Robin's impeccable taste and legendary sense of style carried over into the final chapter of her life. In 2019, she came home to Florida, and settled in downtown St. Pete. She approached her new home with as much care as she did for work, and her family and friends constantly marveled at her design choices. She officially retired in 2020, and she was almost busier in retirement than she was at work. She experienced so much joy living in St. Pete--walking the Pier, brunching at Parkshore Grill, and taking people to the front porch of the Vinoy for cocktails and witty conversation. She loved traveling annually with her family, and enjoyed several great adventures around Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Italy. She spoiled yet another generation as if they were her own, and loved spending time with her great nieces and nephews. She opened her door, and her heart, to family and decades-long friends. If you were a friend of Robin's, you were family. She was the "glue" for a sisterhood who loved her fiercely. Robin always straightened the crowns of other powerful women. She lifted them up in love, unconditional support, and wise advice. Her friends--her sisters--bore witness to the highs and lows of Robin's life for more than 40 years.

Robin is survived by her brother Roger (Mary Lynn) Smith of Ft. Myers; sister in law Kathy (Ronald-deceased) Smith of Dallas; niece Natalie (Rob) Smith Richardson of Houston; niece Samantha (John) Hiett of Dallas and their children Alistair and Dalton; niece Holly Smith of Asheville and her children August, Ford and Noa; and Andy (Sadie) Smith of Orlando and their children Avery and Zach. She is preceded in death by her parents, Elwood Milton and Margaret Clara Smith of Ft. Myers and her brother Ronald Milton Smith of Ft. Myers. She is also survived by her close and loving friends of many years: Judith Tuller of St. Petersburg; Nicholas and Carol Jahnke of Tampa; Laurie (Frank) Someson Sierra of Tampa; Florence Harmon of Washington, D.C.; and Erin (Danny) McComas of Washington D.C.

Services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 22nd at Anderson McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Street North, St. Petersburg Florida. In lieu of flowers please support a cause close to your heart. Also, and even more important: schedule that phone call, that brunch, or that walk on the St. Pete pier with a treasured friend.