David W. Robinson

DAVID W. ROBINSON, 89, formerly of St. Albans, passed away in Huntington July 19 after a short illness. Dave was preceded in death by his parents Hymie and Mildred (Becker) Robinson and his sister Leah (Robinson) Newmeyer and her husband Pete, all of Wheeling. On June 13, 1959, he married Joyce C. Haranzo, also of Wheeling. The couple settled first in Middlebourne and then Sutton. They later moved to St. Albans, where they lived for more than 50 years. Dave was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and brother. He and Joyce have six children: Rande (Jeanie) Robinson of Hickory, NC; Rick (Rebecca) Robinson of Huntington; Reed (Julie) Robinson of Charleston; Ronn Robinson of Beckley; Amie Robinson of St. Albans and Ryan Robinson (Laura Cardinale) of St. Albans. He was grandfather to eight grandchildren: Rainer Robinson and Rachael Robinson (Rande and Jeanie); Katie (PJ) Wolfe; Michael (Samantha) Robinson; Magdalene Robinson (Ryan); and David, Brian and Marieanne Robinson (Rick and Rebecca). He was great-grandfather to Abigail Wolfe (Katie and PJ). Also left to mourn his passing are sister Brenda (Nicholas) Hun of Hurricane and brother Gerry (Kathy) Robinson of Wheeling, sister-in-law Judy (Jim) Mauck of Denver, and sister-in-law Kathy (Jim) Haranzo of Darien, CT, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Dave was an athlete and academic standout at Wheeling Central Catholic High School, excelling particularly in basketball. His teams were Catholic state basketball champions during the years 1948-1950 and he was named to All-City, All-Conference and All- State teams during that time. He was recruited by Marshall University basketball coach Cam Henderson in 1951 and played varsity basketball, where he started every game for three consecutive years and was team captain his senior year. He also played baseball for Marshall and was president of his senior class, named in several honoraries and was president of the Newman Club. He graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to earn a master of science from Virginia Tech. Dave enjoyed a long and distinguished career with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, from which retired as Chief of the Division of Water Resources. He was named a Distinguished West Virginia by Gov. Arch A. Moore in 1987. In 2003, Dave was inducted in the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame. He remained a faithful Son of Marshall, attending games and supporting programs, throughout his life. Dave and Joyce were active members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in St. Albans for decades, where he served as Eucharist minister and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He was a devoted fisherman, who instilled a love of the sport in many of his children and grandchildren. Later in life, he looked forward to lake vacations with the extended family. In 2018, Dave and Joyce moved to the Woodlands Retirement Community in Huntington, where he enjoyed many new activities and friends, most of whom shared his strong affection for Marshall University. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. Visitors may call on the family from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, July 24, 2023 at Bartlett Nichols Funeral Home, 409 Sixth Avenue in St. Albans. Following the visitation, a funeral mass will be held at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 1023 Sixth Avenue, St. Albans. Msgr. Fredrick Annie will preside. A private grave-side service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 25 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery in Putnam County. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Dave’s memory to the Big Green Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 1360, Huntington, WV, 25715. You may visit Dave’s tribute page at BartlettNichols.com to share memories or condolences with the family.

David W. Robinson

July 19, 2023