Marion Root Robertson

Marion Root Robertson, age 99, died peacefully on June 3rd, 2019 at Shannondale Center in Knoxville, TN. Her great loves were her husband, Dr. John W. Robertson, her family, her friends, her books and her flower garden. Her favorite hymn was “For the Beauty of the Earth.” She was active for many years with her PEO sisters, her beloved book club, at Church Street Methodist, and the East Tennessee Daylily Society. With her Masters degree in Library Science and her great enthusiasm for stories, she gifted countless students at West Hills Elementary with a lifelong love of books, and a love also of Marion, the librarian. Her library, the first not only in the school but the school system, began in a cleaning closet off the stage, and grew to be a magical destination — drawing kids to discover and explore worlds they had never before imagined — in the end, commanding the importance of two classrooms in an overcrowded school! Long before publishers sent out promotional materials for their authors, MaryLett enlisted the artistic genius of her husband to illustrate captivating character sketches; for example, imagine a wall poster 5 feet long of a young lady with a big smile riding a dragon! As well as receiving Tennessee Librarian of the Year, she was asked to be a judge for the Newberry Caldecott Award in 1975, a huge honor for any librarian, and again in 1985 she was tapped to be a judge for the Caldecott. But as much as she poured her life into her work, her family was always first. Funny, fiery, and philosophical are good descriptors of her mind, and she had an endless store of memorized poems, wise sayings, and proverbs to liven up any conversation. She grew up in Vermont, and her mother, Bessie Fairbanks Root, was careful to share her with her aunts who had no children. Her father, Fred B. Root, died when she was 6, and the wonderful relationships she had with her aunts helped to supplement that loss. As a young girl, MaryLett would read books in trees, snowshoe and ride horseback. She loved to do the dishes because once she was told she could do them “if you are very good,” and she decided to keep that transformational perspective of work. She was a ski champion, played center for her basketball team, and rode horseback across the state. In college, she traveled with a trio of puppeteers and built her own puppet characters and sets, performing her own scripts to the delight of adults and children everywhere. She met John on a blind date arranged by John’s sister Eva, and they were married soon after he returned from the war. Their marriage was an enduring example of mutual love and admiration. MaryLett is survived by her sons, Rob, Dave and Alan, and her 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren who dearly love her and carry in their hearts her love of books, her room-lighting smile and all out enthusiasm for life. Service will be on Saturday, June 29 at Berry Highland Memorial, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Burial will follow. Instead of flowers, memorial donations in the name of Marion Root Robertson(AH\TN). Send to: P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education, 3700 Grand Ave., DesMoines, IA 50312.