Obituary of Ralph Robinson

After a long battle with congestive heart failure, beloved husband, father and grandfather, Ralph Wood Robinson passed away on November 17 with his children at his side. Ralph was born to Gill and Gladys Robinson in Farmington, Utah on June 17, 1925. Ralph, "Robbie" or "Mr. R", is best known for his love of family, his dedication to service and his zeal for life and hard work. He served our country as a Navy submariner in the Pacific theater of WWII. After the war, he returned home to Utah where he attended and graduated from the University of Utah. There he met and married the love of his life, Pauline. They had 62 wonderful years together. Ralph started his 60-year career in retail management by working for Allied Stores and the Bon Marche. In the late 1950's he became a partner in the Broadway clothing store. He loved the challenge of retail, and grew the Broadway chain into 7 stores spread over the Pacific Northwest. He was the President of the Eugene Downtown Association and was very involved in community development. During the recession of the 1980s, he purchased and reinvigorated the long standing Eugene business, Reed&Cross, into a multi-faceted retail operation. Ralph excelled in many sports, notably waterskiing, tennis, and racquetball and was a huge Ducks fan. Ralph traveled the world extensively, but community service and fundraising were his way of giving back. Two of the many organizations benefiting from his service were Sacred Heart and RiverBend hospitals. He helped in site location, investing and fundraising and was on the Sacred Heart/PeaceHealth Hospital Boards for decades. He also served as the chairman of the governing board of Sacred Heart hospital. He was a past president and a tireless fundraiser for the Eugene Lion’s Club sight, hearing, and guest house initiatives. His ability to give (and inspire others to follow suit) led to the Eugene Lion's Club creating a new service award in his honor... “the Robbie Award”. Ralph was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and helped raise the money (and provided much of the sweat equity) in building their large north Eugene chapel. Ralph married Pauline Johnson in 1946, shortly after the war. Pauline preceded him death in 2007. They were blessed with one daughter Jan Smith (John) and sons Jon Robinson, RJ Robinson and Jeff (Dianna) Robinson. He absolutely delighted in his seven grandchildren and his three great-grandchildren. He is survived by his second wife, Janet Salmon Robinson. The memorial service will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1155 President Street, Eugene on Monday, November 25 at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Volunteers in Medicine or PeaceHealth Hospice. The family is especially grateful to the PeaceHealth Hospice and the Visiting Angels who gave Ralph so much loving care in his final days. "The important thing is not how a man died, but how he lived!" - Spencer W. Kimball Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com