Monday, October 06, 2025:

I received the following e-mail up-date from Dan Robinson, Rob's son:

All

It's been several weeks since my last update, so I thought I'd send a quick note today letting you all know that my dad's health continues to slowly improve and he is getting stronger by the day. In mid-September, we got dad discharged from hospice care (since it now seems unlikely that he's leaving this world anytime soon) and enrolled him into an in-residence physical and occupational therapy program that will hopefully build back the strength in his legs and lower body to eventually enable him to become mobile again. He is eating a full solid food diet every day, and is taking at least one meal a day in the dining room with other residents of his assisted living facility (the staff helps him into a wheelchair and then takes him down to the dining room). Dad's mental state is still very confused, and he cannot remember many things from day to day, but overall he seems generally happy and his quality of life is improving every week that goes by.

Some of you have asked how to get in touch with my dad. His mailing address for cards, letters, etc. is:

Rob Robinson
c/o Commonwealth Assisted Living
Room 606
460 S Main St.
Kilmarnock, VA 22482

This is also the physical address where he resides, in case anyone wants to visit him in-person. If any of you would like to visit in-person, I request that you let me know in advance so I can meet you there and take you back to my dad's room.

Dad's cell phone # is 434-326-3318, in case anyone wants to try to call him. I cannot guarantee that dad will answer his phone, but if you leave a voicemail, I'll ensure that he hears it the next time I visit with him.

Thanks to all for your continued thoughts and prayers for dad's recovery. Best, - Dan Robinson

Editor's Note: Rob's email adddress is kj4kms@comcast.net.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

I received the following e-mail up-date from Dan Robinson, Rob's son:

All

I've received several requests from some of you for an update on my dad's (Rob's) health status since my last note at the end of July.

As of today (8/19), Dad is still in hospice care at his home in Kilmarnock, Virginia, and his condition continues to stabilize and improve every day, albeit very slowly. Since he entered hospice on 7/21, dad's ability to eat solid food has improved dramatically, and his appetite seems to have grown. His cognitive abilities have improved somewhat as well, although he is still demonstrating an advanced state of dementia. He is very tired most of each day, and he does not have the strength to leave his bed -- therefore he is taking all his meals and medicines from an adjustable hospital bed that was brought into his room.

Dad's ultimate recovery, if it happens at all, will be very slow. I have set us an ambitious goal to have him up and out of the bed, moving around on his own, hopefully by Christmas. I don't think it will be any sooner than that, if at all.

Thanks again to all of you who have sent emails offering prayers and good wishes. I read them all to dad as they come in, and he seems to enjoy hearing from all of you. Going forward, please send any get well messages to dad's email address (this address): kj4kms@comcast.net, instead of to my personal email address. (I found that some of your emails that were sent to my address were diverted directly into my Spam folder, and I almost missed them.)

Finally, if any of you want to be taken off of this email distro list, please just email me back and I'll remove you from any future emails about my dad.

Thanks,

Dan Robinson

Sunday, August 17, 2025

I received a new story from Mac McGowan to be published. It is entitled "My Adventures at the 2025 Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway"! It may be found at New Stories!

Saturday, July 26, 2025

I received the following e-mail up-date from Dan Robinson, Rob's son:



All

A quick update on my dad, Rob Robinson ("Robbie", "Wayne"):

Dad entered into hospice care this past Monday, 7/21, at his home in the Commonwealth Senior Living assisted living facility in Kilmarnock, Virginia. All the medical "experts" thought that he'd be lucky to have a few more days, maybe a week of life left.

Well, Dad wasn't having any of that! In the past few days, he has resumed eating some solid food, his cognition is improving, and he is regaining strength every day. He is still not able to move around on his own yet, but he's talking a lot more than he was before and it's looking like he might eventually make a recovery. We are very cautiously optimistic about Dad's chances to recover, but we aren't ruling it out.

Thanks to the many of you who replied to my email from last week with your good wishes and stories about your times together with my dad. When I visited him yesterday, I read every single email aloud to him, and he seemed to enjoy hearing from all of you.

I'll continue to provide updates periodically, and I'm available via Dad's email address and also at my own email: dan91vmi@gmail.com in case anyone has any questions.

Thanks,

Dan Robinson

Friday, July 18, 2025

I received the following e-mail from Dan Robinson, Rob's son:

All

This is Dan Robinson, writing to you from my dad, Rob Robinson's email account. If you are receiving this email, you are a friend of my dad's, and I thought you'd want to read this update on him.

In mid-March, earlier this year, Dad moved out of his house in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he had been living for the past 15 years, and he moved into an Assisted Living facility near my home in Kilmarnock, Virginia. For the past few years, Dad has had some health problems that were more recently compounded by advancing dementia, and it was no longer possible for him to safely live alone. He grumbled about it at first, but it didn't take long for Dad to grow to enjoy his new home. He met some new friends in his own age group, was eating three hot meals a day, and even got himself a girlfriend! Our family was all very glad that Dad had made the move, and he lives 5 minutes away from me, so we have been able to see him much more frequently. Dad happily celebrated his 88th birthday in May, surrounded by my family (including his grandsons) and his new lady friend.

Unfortunately, on Sunday, June 29th, Dad was rushed to the ER with a blood clot in the main artery that supplies blood to the intestines. The blood clot stopped blood flow to his intestines for somewhere between 6-8 hours. They medevac’d Dad to a hospital near Richmond, Virginia for an emergency vascular surgery to remove the blood clot, which was successful. However, damage had been done to his large intestines (colon), small intestines, kidneys, and gall bladder due to them having no blood flow for 6-8 hours. The following day, 6/30, Dad underwent a major abdominal surgery where they removed half of his large intestine. He was fully sedated from Monday morning thru Thursday, 7/3. The surgery to repair his intestines was successful.

Dad remained in the hospital to recover, but unfortunately, he has not made any measurable improvement in his recovery over the past two weeks. In some ways, he has gotten worse: he now has an infection that is not responding to antibiotics, and his kidney function is worsening. He has "hospital delirium" that prevents him from understanding where he is and what is happening around him, and -- perhaps most concerning -- he has not regained his ability to swallow solid food. We asked his doctors to continue the regimen of medical care for a few more days, in hopes that he could turn the corner, but he has not done so. Therefore, on the advice of his doctors and after much internal family deliberation, we have decided to place my dad into hospice care starting next Monday, July 21. Unless a miracle recovery occurs, it's likely that my Dad will no longer be with us by the end of this month.

If you have good memories of my Dad, please include him in a thought, say a prayer, or raise a glass to him. I'll keep everyone informed over the next few days/weeks as Dad's health status changes. If you have any questions for me, please reply to this email -- I am checking Dad's email account daily.

Thanks for your friendship to my Dad,

Dan Robinson

Editor's Note: Rob's email adddress is kj4kms@comcast.net.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Pacific Northwest CANDOER Spring Luncheon at Newport, Oregon

I received the following pictures from Dick Kalla and Judy Chidester:

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Thursday, June 12, 2025 Death of Richard D. Grimes Richard (Rich) David Grimes, of St. Louis Park, MN, passed away on Sunday, June 8, 2025. He was born in Minneapolis on March 1, 1940 to Cyril and Marian (McDonough) Grimes. He was preceded in death by brothers Charles (Chuck), Michael (Mike), and James (Jim); and sister Patricia (Pat) Grimes. He is survived by his most beloved wife, Marie; daughters Theresa Flannery and Christina Boettcher; son-in-law Brent Boettcher; and grandchildren Molly Flannery, Sophie Flannery, Anna Boettcher and Matthew Boettcher. After servings two years in the US Army during the Vietnam War, he spent most of his professional life working for the US State Department, where he lived in 12 countries and visited over 40 others. He was a true student of life, always pursuing knowledge and experience. His family found great joy in his gift of storytelling and never-ending gratitude for the life he had been gifted. His curiosity about the world around him and its people made him incredibly friendly and approachable to all who crossed his path. Known to speak to strangers and crack a joke, it was hard not to love him after only a moment in his presence. Richard will be remembered by those who knew him as a wonderful father, loving grandfather, and fantastic friend – quick to laugh, witty, and full of wisdom. Above all, he will be remembered for the love he had for his wife Marie, which grew every day of their 59-year marriage, even in the toughest of times. He will be deeply missed. Private interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Hillsdale College www.hillsdale.edu/support/ways-to-give/ or any veteran’s organization.