David Warren Robinson

David (Dave) was born on October 21st 1957 in Marshall, Michigan to the late Guy and Beverly (Burlingame) Robinson, joining his older sister Karen to complete their family.

In his youth, Dave enjoyed building model airplanes/cars, playing baseball and golf, riding Honda minibikes, and roaming the fields with the neighborhood kids unsupervised, as was standard for his generation.

As a teen/young adult, he got in to muscle cars like his beloved 1970 Cougar Eliminator, which he got another of in the final year of his life. He also found extreme hobbies like scuba diving, cliff rappelling, and whitewater rafting exhilarating. He eventually had two stints of doing karate, partly inspired by his hero Chuck Norris.

Dave eventually followed his mother Beverly to Illinois when she married Gerald Sellers of Bourbonnais, IL in 1972. He bonded with his stepfather during NFL football on Sundays, even though Dave grew up identifying as a Minnesota Vikings fan. He eventually saw the light and declared himself a Bears fan after they drafted a kid named Walter Payton, who would become his favorite football player ever.

While in Illinois, Dave set off on his own towards a rewarding career in the plastics industry. He met Donna Jean Hickey of Waukegan, IL at the company they both worked for. They were married in June 1983 and their son Charlie Warren came along in October 1985. Dave chose the name Charlie to honor his grandfather Charles Burlingame, who was a big influence in his life. It didn’t take long for Dave and infant Charlie to connect over Bears football, as they won Super Bowl XX in January 1986. Football Sundays became the ultimate bonding time for Dave and Charlie as he grew up.

Dave and Donna eventually grew apart, but Dave continued his ascent in the plastics industry. In 1995 while working in Wauconda, IL Dave caught the eye of a visiting client by the name of Esther Welsh. They got to know each other better and eventually their employers caught on – telling them they had to choose between their jobs and each other. So naturally they chose each other and were able to find gainful employment elsewhere.

Esther came to live with Dave and Charlie in Elkhorn, WI, but Dave warned Charlie that Esther would also be bringing her two “wild” teenage daughters with her. Sara and Amy Wesh were as advertised, but Dave gladly took on the role of their father-figure and they quickly bonded with their new innocent “little bro.” The new blended family was cemented when Dave and Esther married in September 1998.

While working at another plastics company together (without threat of job loss) Dave and Esther saved up to buy the house/yard of their dreams in Slinger, WI in March 2000. Dave always enjoyed working outside, even finding cutting the grass enjoyable. The new large yard provided a challenge and they worked hard to make their visions come true. Dave also purchased and restored the same model of Honda minibikes from his youth to drive around the yard and neighborhood.

In 2012, circumstances led Dave and Esther to seek a simpler lifestyle in Northern Wisconsin, where they enjoyed the peace and quiet of rural living. After long-bugging Charlie to give him a grandchild, it finally happened when Jordan Patrick Robinson was born in October 2015. Connor Warren Robinson later came along in May 2019, the 4th generation of Robinson to have Warren as their middle name. Becoming a grandpa was one of the greatest thrills of Dave’s life.

With aging parents in different states, Dave and Esther decided it best to be apart so she could take care of her parents in Texas, and he could take care of his mom in Indiana during their final years. The dream of retiring at the family farm in Indiana was finally realized, where he lived out his final days.

Dave was preceded in eternal life by his parents Guy Robinson and Beverly Sellers, and his beloved dog Sugar Bear.

Dave is survived by his sister Karen (Tony) Giannelli of Dimondale, Michigan, son Charlie (Kristen) Robinson of West Bend, Wisconsin, two grandsons Jordan and Connor Robinson, and his dog Smokey Bear Robinson.

Dave’s ashes will be laid to rest in the family plot at Jamestown Cemetery in Fremont, Indiana during a private family ceremony at a later date.

Donations in his memory can be made to the Honor Flight Network (https://www.honorflight.org/donate/). Dave had the pleasure of taking his father Guy, a Korean War veteran, on an Honor Flight in the summer of 2014 mere months before his passing. It meant so much to them both, as it does to all the other veterans and their families who get to experience it.