Springfield Colorado

 

Warren William Robinson, 90
July 15, 1918 - April 25,2009

He departs his life on April 25, 2009 at 90 years of age. Warren William Robinson, son of Ray and Carrie Robinson was born July 15, 1918, near Perryton, Texas in Ochiltree County.

At an early age (1920) his family moved to a farm near Vilas, Colorado for a short time and then purchased a farm 5 miles northwest of Springfield. In 1926 they moved to Canon City, returning to Springfield in 1929 to make their home on the farm.

Warren received most of his education at Springfield and graduated from High School in 1937. During those years Warren proved to be an outstanding athlete, excelling in Football, Track (he loved the pole vault) and boxing.

His athletic prowess won him a football scholarship to Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. Later, warren would transfer to Panhandle A and M in Goodwell, Oklahoma. While still in Goodwell, Warren was inducted into the armed forces, beginning his active duty on January 6, 1941 and served almost five years through November of 1945.

Most of Warren’s training was at Army Air Forces Bases in Texas. Warren was an aviation cadet for 7 months. He became a Master Sergeant liaison Pilot and was with Flight C, 157th Liaison Squadron, 3rd Air Commando Group in the Asiatic Pacific Operation in the Philippines and Okinawa; evacuating wounded soldiers, observing artillery fire and dropping supplies to the ground units.

When he finally mustered out of the armed forces, Warren was credited with four years, 10 months and six days of service to the United States of America. Upon returning back to the states and Springfield, Warren continued flying and offered flight instruction for a year at the local airport. Warren married LaHoma Dodge on August 8, 1947.

They purchased freight line trucking company, Robinson Transfer, which ran between Lamar and Baca County and delivered goods and freight through the area. When they sold out after four years in the freight business, Warren went to work for Chevrolet.

First at Morris Chevrolet and then Key Chevrolet and stayed in the automobile business until capping off a run of 31 years and five months before retiring in 1985. During many of those same years, Warren established himself as a premier auctioneer and joined forces with Bill Mundell in 1966 for create Robinson-Mundell Auction Services.

Both Bill and Warren retired from auctioneering in 1987 and for Warren that closed out a career of 32 years in the business. Despite his very busy life as an automobile salesman and auctioneer, Warren was happy to volunteer his auctioning skills to help local causes raise money. He auctioned the 4-H Livestock project for 28 years, the Two Buttes Bazaar for 19 years, the fireman’s annual auction, auctioning for school functions such as the Senior Class Sale and the auctioning of the homes built by students in the Lamar Community College Building Trades program.

Indeed, Warren Robinson was deeply involved in his local community, he was a real people person and loved offering a helping hand to his friends and neighbors in Baca County and Southeast Colorado. Warren also loved to play and collected a number of “hobbies” or “special interest” throughout the years.

He loved to go to the horse races and he and wife LaHoma did their best to make it to Las Vegas at least once a year. In addition, they enjoyed traveling, visiting as many different states and counties as they could with their allowed time.

After retirement he played a lot of golf. To really relax, Warren loved to lay rock at home and at their cabin. Warren was preceded in death by his father, April 18, 1970; his mother, September 1, 1976; his sister Alene Dapron on January 5, 1987; his brother Russell on December 3, 1998; his two nieces, Sherry Strouse and Candi Johnson, one nephews Calvin Robinson and his very close cousin Patty Christie.

Those remaining to honor Warren Robinson’s life include LaHoma, wife of 61 years, nephew Bill Means and his family, cousin Ted Christie and his family and many, many friends and associates.