Jerry W. ROBINSON

1932 - 2022

September 27, 1932 - April 19, 2022

Jerry was born on September 27, 1932, in Vancouver, WA to Fred and Irene Robinson (Harrington). His father was a carpenter and Jerry grew up in the house that Fred built, spending long days playing in the nearby woods and riding his much-cherished bike around the neighborhood. He graduated from Vancouver High School, and then briefly attended Reed College, before being drafted into the Army. Jerry often told stories about his years in Germany, carefully listening to and recording the communications coming out of East Germany.

While in the service, Jerry wrote frequently to a lovely, young woman he had reconnected with right before deployment, Jean McLean. Jerry had known Jean all his life, though they weren't well-acquainted. Their parents met at WSU, and the two had played together as toddlers, but the families settled on different coasts, keeping in touch mainly through frequent letters. Jerry met Jean again as he was headed to basic training in Fort Bragg and was, in his words "intrigued." Three years, and many letters later, when Jerry returned from Germany, his first stop was in DC to visit the McLeans. By the end of that stopover, he and Jean were engaged, much to the delight of both sets of parents. They were married on June 15, 1957, in Wenatchee, WA.

The couple attended Washington State University together, where Jerry earned his electrical engineering degree and they welcomed their first two children, Mike and Anne. The family spent the next 14 years in Livermore, CA, where Jerry worked for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory working on nuclear fusion experiments. During those years, Jean and Jerry added two more children to the happy family, Bill, and Susan, and were very involved in their local church, school district, and community theater. Jerry had a beautiful tenor singing voice and could sight-read and harmonize with ease, competing statewide with his barbershop quartet group.

In 1974, Jerry and Jean were ready for a new adventure. They packed up their four kids and headed to Tonasket in Eastern Washington where they had purchased a small apple orchard. New to the area and orcharding, they were nonetheless welcomed into the community. The more experienced farmers at Regal Fruit shared their time and advice freely and Jerry quickly learned the ropes.

While in Tonasket, Jerry started what would be his third career - working for the Bureau of Reclamation. Jerry began the rebuilding of the Oroville-Tonasket irrigation project and then in 1986, took a position as an electrical engineer at Grand Coulee Dam. Jerry and Jean packed up once more and moved to Creston, eventually building their dream home in Wilber, WA. While at the dam, Jerry was instrumental in upgrading high voltage switching gear and transformers protecting the NW electrical grid. Jerry always had a side project or two ongoings and spent his free time landscaping the property per Jean's inspired garden designs, building elaborate terraces railroad ties that he insisted he needed no help moving.

In 2003, Jean passed away. They had had over 45 years together and were the best of friends. Jerry was one of the lucky ones, however, and found love a second time. Through the Creston church, he met Donna Roloff. The pair loved community volunteer work, dancing, traveling, a good bridge game, and a fine glass of wine. They greatly enjoyed one another's company until her death on November 29, 2020.

In retirement, Jerry stayed active as a board member of the Regal Place homeowners association and treasurer of the Ice Age Floods Institute, Cheney-Spokane Chapter, and spent many happy hours gardening, rooting on the Seattle Seahawks and Gonzaga Bulldogs, reading Louis L'Amour novels, and completing (or cursing) sudoku puzzles.

Jerry is survived by his four children and their spouses, Mike and Lisa Robinson of Wenatchee, Anne Grant of Bothell, Bill and Kim Robinson of Centennial, CO, and Susan Robinson and Scott Furman of Menlo Park, CA, nine grandchildren, Lauren Grant, Meredith Robinson, Lindsay Bachman, Jamie Grant, Morgan Robinson, James Robinson, Colleen Robinson, Zach Furman, and Jace Furman, and three great-grandchildren, Amira, Alena, and Sloane.

Special thanks to the caring staff at Brittany Park and Evergreen Health. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Creston Christian Church in Creston, WA, or the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation