ROBINSON, Duane 'Dewey' 1945-2013

ROBINSON, KLEMENSEN, TRELOAR

Posted By: COUNTY COORDINATOR
Date: 10/12/2013 at 11:31:40

Duane “Dewey” Robinson, 68, died peacefully at his home October 7, 2013. His life was shortened by a 21-year courageous struggle with cancer.

A celebration of life will be held 3:00 p.m., Monday, October 14, 2013 at the Anchorage Funeral Home, 1800 Dare Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska. Viewing and visitation will began one hour prior to the service. Additional services will be held in Mason City, Iowa with burial at the Park Cemetery in Nora Springs, Iowa.

Dewey was born in Eldora, Iowa in 1945. He grew up in Nora Springs, Iowa and graduated in 1963. He was an accomplished wrestler and an Iowa state runner-up champion. After high school he worked at Jacob E. Decker and Sons (Armour) in Mason City, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967 as a bridge engineer and medic in Viet Nam. He returned to Deckers until he moved to Alaska with his wife Judy in 1972.

He built trusses, doors, and windows at Alaska Builders Cache until he founded Dewey’s Garage in 1978. He loved mechanical repair work and welding. When he was too sick to work, he still put on his overalls and sat in the garage, dispensing free advice to customers, friends, and neighbors. He also loved spending time “off the grid” at the homestead on the Susitna River. There he enjoyed hunting moose, watching wildlife from his kitchen table, visiting with friends, and working in a very special shop built by his friend Larry Siekmeier.

His friends and family said, “Dewey was the toughest yet most gentle person we have known. Nobody had better tools, cleaner guns, sharper knives, or cleaner moose meat than Dewey. He was generous with his possessions, his technical expertise, and his wisdom about life’s rewards and hardships. His mother had three children, but Dewey’s family was much, much bigger. Friends of all races and faiths claim him as a brother.”

He was preceded in death by his father, James Robinson and his brother, Donald L. Robinson.

He is survived by his wife Judy A. Robinson; his beloved dog Elsie; his mother Thelma Klemensen in Mason City, Iowa; his sister Delores Treloar in Edmond, Oklahoma; nephews David Robinson and Cory Robinson in Wasilla, Alaska; nieces Felicia Kruse, Universal City, Texas; Misty Humphries, Midland, Texas; and Robin Manning, Hedrick, Oklahoma along with numerous great nieces and nephews.

The family prefers donations to the charity of your choice in lieu of flowers.

Arrangements are with the Anchorage Funeral Home, you are invited to visit Dewey’s online guest book at www.AlaskanFuneral.com

Source: www.AlaskanFuneral.com