Merlene Ann Robb

Independence – Merlene Ann Robb passed away last week in Independence, Missouri, she was 93. She was the first born of eight children to her parents Clement Merle and Josephine Helen Robb (Calhoun). Seven survived to adulthood. Born into the era of the Great Depression in Omaha, NE in 1933 her dad worked at the stockyards and did whatever he could to make ends meet, eventually moving the growing family to Wyoming and then to Winslow, AZ to work on railroad engines. Merlene, being the oldest, had to pitch in at every turn.

She was able to land waitress jobs for the Harvey House in Winslow and later in New Mexico as a young teen. Then she graduated from Winslow High School in 1951 and headed to Colorado to attend business school. She excelled and quickly got a job processing soldiers coming home from the Korean War at the VA hospital in Colorado Springs. She met Cecil Merl Hawthorne through her work and they got married in 1955 in Winslow. He was raised on a ranch in Nebraska so off they went for horses and the ranch life. It turned out to be more work than fun (or money) so after a year they loaded up the Ford pickup and ice chest, the first born (daughter Susie), and headed to California.

They had three more children in California to make it a four-some. Merl, with Merlene’s help, started and ran a lawn company which morphed into an underground sprinkler company. In 1971 they moved back to Nebraska to run the ranch after Merl’s dad passed. That didn’t turn out so good, Merlene divorced and went back to California with the four kids and four horses. She always was crazy about horses, she did shows, helped run clubs, even helped organize the community in the late 60’s to build a bridge across the San Gabriel River so folks had places to ride. The bridge is still there.

Merlene always did what she had to do to put food on the table, celebrate the holidays teach Sunday school, do kids baseball, violin, guitar, etc. etc. As a single mom in the early 70’s it was not easy. The banks did not even want to give her a checking account! She persevered and landed a job with the Victorville, CA Sherrif’s Office. This was one of many clerical or sales jobs she did. After she retired at 64, she did life with her two daughters and helped with their four children, mainly around Los Angels area. She also did a lot of trips to see her sons in Wisconsin/Arizona or in Virginia. She had an immense knowledge of history and she loved to visit, and of course, to report on what she saw. One of her favorite sayings was “short story long”. If you knew her, you know she lived up to that quotation. She even went to Europe to see everything, especially to Normandy to honor the fallen who saved this country in WWII. She was a true patriot and was grateful to live in America. She had a memory like an elephant and could rehash a decades-old story like it happened yesterday. While she could be as serious a lifeguard she laughed easily and loved making jokes, and she especially loved being with her family. In later days, she often said “what I would do to relive the days when I had all my children around me”. This is where she found true satisfaction in her life.

Merlene is survived by her two sons, Mark (Suzan wife) and Brad (Joanna wife), and daughter Camille (Tim husband). Sadly, her oldest daughter Susan passed in 2019. She also leaves behind thirteen (13) grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren, she loved them all very much. The grandchildren are: Sarah, Jonathan, Maddy (M&S’s), Judah, Mercie, Micah, Ezra, Jubal, & Titus (B&J’s), Shelby and Jessica (C&T’s), and Colin and Rhett (S. and Craig, S. and George).

Merlene’s siblings Gerry, Duncan and Tim survive her, and in-laws and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by daughter Susan, and siblings Nancy, Alan, and Alice. A quiet reflection of her life will happen among her children later in July. Brad will arrange with family to scatter her ashes across one of her favorite landscapes in Arizona.

If you wish to donate to her memory, please visit Arbor Day Foundation and click “Trees in Honor of Others”.