Alfred Hubert Robinson, 93, of Tonasket, Washington, passed away on January 28th, 2019. He will join his wife of 72 years, MaryAlice, who preceded him in death just 18 days before.

Al was born in Oroville, Wash., on Sept. 6, 1925, to Vernon and Ruth (Verbeck) Robinson. He was raised in the Oroville area along with his six brothers and three sisters. Al often told of his adventures herding sheep and contending with rattlesnakes on the hills above the family home. He related running several miles home after sports practices and one February day swam the Okanogan River to avoid the longer route. He was a dedicated and accomplished athlete, participating in baseball, football and basketball for the Oroville Hornets and continued to play competitively well into his 40’s.

Al’s time as an Oroville High School athlete was cut short when WWII accelerated and he joined the Marine Corps. He served three years in the Pacific Theater, primarily as a machine gunner, in areas including the Johnston Atoll, Tarawa, Guam, Majuro, the Marshall Islands, Ulithi, and Pelilieu. He remained a proud Marine for the rest of his life, referring to himself as a “superpatriot” and staying involved in local and national politics.

Upon his return from military service, Al met and soon married the lovely Oroville May Queen, Mary Alice Holcomb. They were wed at the Ellisforde Brethren Church on July 28, 1946. Together they worked hard, expanded their orchard and built a beautiful home in Ellisforde to accommodate their five children. In addition to apples, they raised cattle, chickens, pigs and a large garden to feed their family.

Al was a very involved father who accompanied his children to hundreds of baseball, football and basketball games, track meets, tennis matches, plays and band and choir events. He coached youth baseball and served as PTA president and Cub Scout Den Leader. He took his family camping, fishing, riding horseback into the wilderness and on many vacations, including Yellowstone, Disneyland and the ocean. In later years he and his wife continued to follow local sports as they watched their grandchildren and great-grandchildren on the field or court.

With his wife, Al traveled to Ohio, California, Florida, Oregon, Montana, Hawaii and all over Washington to keep in touch with family and friends, both of which he valued greatly.

Following retirement from the orchard, Al became a Real Estate broker and again, working together, he and his wife opened a successful office and sold many homes, orchards and businesses throughout the valley. They twice traveled to Japan and China to enhance their Real Estate business and continued to enjoy travel with recent trips to Denali and the Bahamas.

Al is survived by a large loving family, including two of his six brothers, Roland Robinson (Cheryl) of Spokane and Leland Robinson (Irene) of Tonasket; four children, Mary Ann Scappucci (John), Holly Waller (Marion), Rod Robinson (Judy), Diane Peterson; 14 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his wife MaryAlice, a son, Alvern; two infant daughters; sisters, Margaret (Peggy) Visser, Eva Byrd and Esther Robinson and four brothers, Norris, Robert, Neil and Ivan Robinson.

Burial with Honor Guard will be held on Wednesday, February 6, at 1 p.m. at the Oroville Riverview Cemetery.

Update: A Celebration of Life scheduled for Saturday, February 16, 2019 at the Oroville Free Methodist Church, has been postponed to a later date, to be announced, due to the inclement weather.

Bergh Funeral Service & Crematory is in care of arrangements.