Lucy Mildred Robinson
Lucy Mildred (Lee) Robinson, matriarch of a longtime and widely respected and popular Chelsea family, died unexpectedly Sunday, August 7. She was 83 years old.
Friends and family members paid their respects to Mrs. Robinson during memorial observances held at the Welsh and Sons Funeral Home.
Mrs. Robinson was devoted to her family and brought joy to many people in her life. She instilled in her children a strong set of family values that they carried with them throughout the lives. Her warm personality and kindness made others feel uplifted in her presence.
Mrs. Robinson raised her family in a home on Arlington Street in the Ward 2 section of the city. Her children attended the nearby Williams School. When the Chelsea Fire struck in 1973, the family’s home on Fourth Street burned to the ground.
Through it all, Mrs. Robinson was a stabilizing influence on her family and they stayed true to their Chelsea upbringing. It was a close-knit family that enjoyed holiday gatherings and festive occasions.
“My mother, her mother Nana Lee, and my uncles and aunts came from a strong family tradition,” said Leo Robinson, her second oldest child and a Chelsea city councilor-at-large. “During all the holidays we’d gather to celebrate. We’d been a family member’s home and do Thanksgiving in shifts – the younger kids would eat first, followed by other groups. The parents always ate last.”
The family grew to the point where the Robinson family’s Thankgiving dinner was moved to the function hall at the Chelsea Y.M.C.A.
Mrs. Robinson stressed education, life skills and service to the community. She was proud of her son, Leo, whose impressive record of community service continues today on the Chelsea City Council. Leo and his brother, Ronald, the oldest of the Robinson children, formed the Latimer Society, an organization known for helping and mentoring Chelsea children.
Mrs. Robinson enjoyed attending Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club social events. Her son-in-law D. Bruce Mauch, became an active leader in those organizations and she would attend them and sit proudly at a table with her family, including daughter Gail Mauch.
“My brother Ron and I and my brother-in-law Bruce have been very involved in the community and my mother always instilled in us family values and how it’s important for the family to be together and spend those quality times together,” said Leo Robinson. “She believed in supporting the younger family members so they can grow up and have productive lives.”
Mrs. Robinson touched many lives in a positive and loving way.
“My mother was a very kind and sweet woman who got along with everybody and some of that she passed on to kids,” said Leo Robinson.