Mary Robinson

Mary Margaret (McCaslin) Robinson, 99, passed peacefully from this life on the morning of Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at Green Ridge Village, Newville, PA.

She was born on February 20, 1916, in Butler, PA, the daughter of the late Wilbert J. and Barbara J. McCaslin. She grew up in Butler and graduated from the public high school. From there she attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree after which she went to West Penn Hospital of Pittsburgh and became a registered nurse. She decided early on that she did not like the sight of blood and moved into nurses training. She taught nursing at the Philipsburg (PA) State Hospital and the Butler County (PA) Memorial Hospital and, after her marriage, York Hospital School of Nursing.

On June 18, 1941, Mary Marg married Rev. Albert Robinson and moved to York, PA. While there, she was a Sunday school teacher and held other leadership positions at Faith Evangelical and Reformed Church (now United Church of Christ). In 1955, the couple and their five sons moved to Shippensburg when Albert was called to be the pastor of Grace United Church of Christ. In 1959, Mary Marg took a job as Home and School Visitor, also known as the truant officer, for the Shippensburg Area School District, a job she enjoyed until her retirement in 1978. While so employed, Mary Marg was known to visit thrift shops to buy clothes for some of her needy students.

After her retirement in 1978, Mary Marg and Albert moved to a log house they built on a mountain near Huntingdon, PA. She spent many hours running a belt sander over the many boards that went into this house. Once it was done, she went on to other pursuits. In season she was kept busy filling the freezers with all the produce Albert grew in the garden. She also loved working in her flower gardens, particularly her rose garden. In the winter she found many things to occupy herself. She stripped and refinished many pieces of furniture including at least eighteen chairs, she made braided rugs, she took up quilting and finished a crazy quilt that won best in show at a local quilt show, she kept and updated a genealogic record of the Robinson and McCaslin families. She was the ‘queen of correspondence”, documenting many family events for posterity in frequent letters. By this developed habit, she kept many friends and family in touch for years.

Most of all, Mary Marg made friends. She had a keen sense of humor, a sharp wit, a ready smile, and a frequent laugh which ingratiated her to all she met. She was always ready to help out with those in need and it is said she never met a stranger.

In addition to all these activities, Mary Marg raised five rambunctious sons. They and their wives are Dave and Sue of Hanover, PA, John and Bonnie of Concord, CA, Bob and Joanna of Philadelphia, PA, Tom and Maggie of Gallup, NM, and Dan and Cilla of Storm Lake, IA. In addition, she cared for three of Albert’s cousins who were like her daughters. They are Joan Michaels of Silver Spring, MD, Kendra McBride of Raleigh, NC, and Laura Prescott of West Branch, MI. She had twelve grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, four brothers, and one great grandchild.

Mary Marg was the essence of kindness and sharing. She will be truly missed.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate her life at Grace United Church of Christ, on Saturday, October 3, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Grace United Church of Christ at 121 E. Orange St. Shippensburg, PA 17257.