Alice Jean Robinson

Alice Jean Banks Robinson died peacefully on Sept. 3, 2025, at HopeWest Hospice Care Center in Grand Junction, Colorado, with family by her side after a short illness. Alice was born in Prescott, Nebraska, to Sydney Arthur Banks and Charlotte Rose Benthin Banks. She was the third of three children and was named after her dad's sister. In 1941, the family moved to Wahoo, Nebraska.

After graduating from Wahoo High School in 1946, Alice worked for the Wahoo Telephone Company as a switchboard operator, then attended Peru State College. A college friend from Tulsa, Oklahoma, invited her to spend the summer in Tulsa and Alice fell in love with the area, where she lived for 60 years. She worked as a loan officer, then as a secretary at Swift and Company until briefly moving to Chicago. Alice returned to Tulsa in 1954 and worked as a stenographer for Amoco Oil Company and Indiana Oil Purchasing Company, where she met her husband, Kent. They were engaged in 1955, married in 1956, and later moved to a farm near Claremore, Oklahoma, where they raised their three sons, Shawn, Kelly and Tim. Kent and Alice were married for 59 years, until his death in 2016. After Kent’s passing, Alice moved to Grand Junction to be near family, living independently until a fall in 2024 led to her transition to nursing care, where she remained until late August.

Alice’s greatest joy was being a mom and grandma. She once wrote, “I loved every minute of being a mom,” and she truly lived it—serving as a homeroom mother, Cub Scout leader, and enthusiastic supporter at her kids’ sporting events. She also enjoyed dancing, singing, playing bridge, and cheering on the New York Yankees and Oklahoma Sooners. A fan of Gone with the Wind, she loved belting out Patsy Cline tunes and “Living on Tulsa Time.” Even in her final weeks, Alice’s spirit shone—singing karaoke for the first time at Larchwood and embracing life with joy.

Alice was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Frederick Kent Robinson; her parents, Sydney and Charlotte Banks; her sister and brother-in-law, Joanne and Carl Lenhard; her brother, William Banks; her nephew, William “Biff” Banks; and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jane (Robinson) and Edward Barry.

She is survived by her sons: Shawn and Linda (Palisade, CO), Kelly and Cristie (Piedmont, SC), and Tim and Renee (Thornton, CO); grandchildren Andrew, Sloane and Smith; nephews Kirk (Rena), Brad (Diane), and Lee (Baby) Lenhard; nieces Erica Feltner and Marijane (Jim) Bonawitz; and many great-nieces and nephews. Alice made cherished friendships wherever she lived, especially at Solstice and Larchwood. Just days before her passing, she lovingly asked, “Tell everyone I love them.”

The Robinson family extends their deepest gratitude to all who cared for Alice in recent years: Dr. Glenn Madrid, Solstice, the dedicated staff at Larchwood Rehab and Larchwood Inns, and especially the compassionate team at HopeWest Hospice.

A celebration of Alice’s life will be held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary on Friday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HopeWest Hospice in Grand Junction, Colorado, in honor of the exceptional care they provided.

GO YANKEES!!

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