Robin Marks Lawrence "YaYa"

Robin was a joyful, playful woman who lived life to the fullest. She loved to go to art markets and music festivals. She lived for Mardi Gras and has ridden in the Krewe of King Arthur for the past five years. She would proudly tell you she attended 22 parades in two weeks during the height of Carnival. She loved Gretna Fest and French Quarter Fest, but she lived for Jazz Fest. She attended Jazz Fest every year from the time she was 16 until the pandemic. Robin was known for laughing and dancing and singing off key with all of the wrong lyrics. Her smile and her energy could light up any room. She called herself a “delicate flower” and cursed like a sailor. She was brilliant and funny and fiercely loving.

Robin loved her extensive family deeply. She was devoted to her siblings and adored her aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was proud to be called “Nanny” or “YaYa” by all of her nieces and nephews. In the last few years, her favorite new title was “great aunt.”

Robin had lifelong friends since her days at Bonnabel High School and the University of New Orleans. They have always been her tribe through every up and down of life. Their love for her and her love for them has never wavered.

Robin met the love of her life on the St. Charles parade route “Bacchus Sunday” February 10, 2013. Robin had blonde hair and a tremendous height advantage over her future wife but shared all the good beads she caught. The love story that began that day that will never end.

Robin loved numbers and spent her professional life doing medical billing and data analysis. In that capacity, she worked for many different medical practices and healthcare facilities and also spent six months doing medical missions in Nicaragua.

In the last five years of her life, Robin (“YaYa”) volunteered at Raphael Academy where her love for children, her crazy personality, and her natural abilities allowed her to connect with and teach some incredibly special children. The young people and children at Raphael filled her with a sense of purpose and tremendous joy.

Robin is preceded in death by her parents Doris Ann Longo Marks and Roy Marks Sr. and her niece Jennifer Daigrepont Boudreaux.

Robin is survived by her loving wife Reita L. Lawrence, her sister Ronda Marks Rutter (Jeff), brothers Ricky Tyson (Janice), Roy Marks Jr. (Amy), and Rene’ Marks (Rhonda), as well as her in-laws Mike and Mollie Lawrence, Kelly Lawrence-Keithley (David), and Jamie Lawrence (Yael). She leaves behind devoted Aunt Pamela Longo Danner and Uncle Greg Longo (Gay), nieces Reese Marks and Ericka Norris, nephews Kyle Tyson (Ashleigh), Chad Daigrepont (Shelby), Austin Marks, Riley Marks, Rowan Marks, Dylan Keithley (Michelle), Tyler Keithley (Katie), Justyn Keithley (Betsy), Jaxson Lawrence, and Preston Lawrence.

She will be missed forever by lifelong friends Robert Gassiot (Michael), Gwen Tucker (Tina), and Rachel Bufkin (Sharon).

She is also survived by cousins, great nieces and nephews, friends, and “yaya’s” too numerous to count. She will be forever missed by all who knew her.

Services will be held at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home Friday, January 27, 2023. Visitation begins at noon with the service beginning at 2 pm .

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Raphael Academy at raphaelvillage.org.