Leslie Robinson

Margaret Leslie (Stewart) Robinson was born in Oakland, California October 15, 1945, but made her way to Texas as quickly as possible, arriving in Amarillo, Texas before she could walk and making Amarillo her home for the majority of her 74 years on earth.  She died at home on Friday, September 18, 2020.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, September 24, 2020 at First Presbyterian Church.  After the wildflowers bloom next summer, her ashes will be scattered in the mountains near Cuchara, Colorado - joining those of her son John Mark Robinson.

For her early years, she was known as Marlee - differentiating her from the family name of Margaret.  When enrolling in West Texas State University, they told her she had to use her first name, not a nickname, and Leslie’s independent streak fully stepped forward and deciding she no longer wanted the association with Margaret, she declared she would go by her middle name.

Active in Girl Scouts, she worked at Camp Kiwanis while she was in high school, and when she moved back to Amarillo was cookie chair for the neighborhood for years even though she had no daughters.

Leslie attended Tascosa High, graduating in 1963. She was active at First Presbyterian Church, including singing in the choir.  The church choir was where Leslie first got to know John.  While John would tease that Leslie followed him to Weatherford, Oklahoma, the reality was they were friends from First Presbyterian.  Both attended Southwestern State College and while there, started dating.

December 29, 1964, John and Leslie, still college students, were married in the same sanctuary in which we will honor her this Thursday.  Taking advantage of the church being decorated for Christmas was the first of many frugal decisions Leslie and John would make as a couple.  Their honeymoon was an early return to Weatherford before re-starting classes, and their 55 years of marriage were filled with other frugal decisions as well as plenty of joy and fun.

In 1967, John Mark was born in Weatherford.  After a period of time of juggling school and family, Leslie left pharmacy school to focus on the family. In May 1968, John and Leslie returned to Amarillo and remained here - engaging in the community, supporting John’s career as a pharmacist, establishing Fleetwood pharmacy, and welcoming their second son, Stewart, in 1970.

While Leslie didn’t finish college, she definitely had a working career.  She served as the bookkeeper for Fleetwood Pharmacy and later spent considerable focus on business and investments.  She was a very active and involved Mom - supporting her sons in Cub Scouts, horseback riding, Boy Scouts, wrestling, marching band, and the Aggie Mom’s Club.

The travel bug skipped a generation; Leslie was not drawn to travel as her mother was, but did build her second home in the small mountain village of Cuchara, Colorado.  After a search for land and asserting that frugal streak by buying an “un-buildable lot”, Leslie and John did much of the work themselves from clearing trees to create the home site, hanging sheetrock, plumbing, wiring, building the decks and much more to create a comfortable home away from home.  After the construction of the cabin in 1973, plenty of summers and holidays were celebrated “in the mountains”.  Many of Leslie’s closest friends and happiest times came from this wonderful mountain community.  Through this community she has friends in many states across the country.

Leslie was crafty. Excelling in just about every artistic endeavor she tried, including stained glass, painting, basket-weaving, or creating Santa Clauses, her true passion emerged when she started quilting in the mid 1980’s.  Leslie’s quilts are a work of art and a labor of love.  If you ever attempted to request something particular, you’ll remember being told “I don’t take orders”.  Every quilt created was her own, and many folks, including her children and her grand-nieces and nephews, have been blessed to have one of Leslie’s beautiful works of art or comforting quilts grace their walls or provide warmth and comfort on their beds.

Many trips were planned around stops at quilt shops in multiple states, and detours were commonly “needed” for fabric shopping where John served as her porter and interpreter (“this is nice” = 1 yard, “I like this” = 2 yards, “I really like this” = 3 yards).

Leslie is survived by her husband of 55 years, John H. Robinson of Amarillo, TX; her brother, J. Michael Stewart and his wife Suzanne of Houston, TX; her son Stewart H. Robinson and wife Marilynn of Golden, CO; and many other loving family members.  She was preceded in death by her son, John Mark Robinson and her parents Richard M. Stewart, Martha Jean “Peggy” Hudson, and step-father Lester Hudson.  We know she was also met at the rainbow bridge by the three family dogs - Sparky, Nikki and Aggie.

The family thanks BSA Hospice of the Southwest and True Blessings for their care of Leslie and support for John.

When we lost John Mark in 2018, Leslie took to reminding everyone to hug their kids – still good advice.  In these challenging times of COVID19 isolation, we also ask that as you think of Leslie, pick up the phone and call a friend you haven’t spoken to recently.

Donations to a favorite charity, in lieu of flowers, is suggested. Favorite charities of the family include the Downtown Women’s Center (dwcenter.org), Eveline Rivers (evelineriversproject.org), and Amarillo Children’s Home (amarillochildrenshome.org).