Lively, loving mother

THELMA LALETHA ROBINSON

Chunny Robinson told Footprints that her mother, Thelma Laletha Robinson, née McLean, was a friendly and lively woman. Mother Robinson died in the hospital on Wednesday, August 16. Her death is extremely hard for her daughter, more so because she had to live with the memory of her mother dying at the place where she (Chunny) has to be every day – at work.

Chunny is one of Thelma’s six daughters; the others are Cecile Campbell, Lola Shepherd, Patricia Sinclair (deceased), Lorna Robinson and Colette Robinson. They have three brothers: Cecil Robinson, Keith Robinson and Clive Robinson. Thelma herself had many siblings – three brothers and four sisters.

She was born to Mary and John McFarlane on April 20, 1932, in the Maroon territory of Moore Town, Portland, where she attended Moore Town All-Age School. The jovial spirit was a dressmaker for many years, and was an active member of the Moore Town Seventhday Adventist Church, where she sang on the choir and taught Sabbath school.

Chunny Robinson said though her mother was very strict, she did not beat her children. She was very close to her mother, who, she said, would give a lot of jokes and with whom she could talk about “every and anything”.

Her grandson, Tajay McLeod, said, “Knowing her all my life, it was unbelievable how she could find the positive side to any situation. There was never a dull moment around her. She was a fun-loving person, a Christian, a wonderful mother, and the most joyful person.

“Mama was a person who would climb any tree, swim in the deepest water, and find it fun to share her experiences and knowledge with any of her grandchildren,” McLeod said, “She was the type of person who would give away her last; she was the kindest and most loving person I know.”

He is going to miss the “good stories that make us laugh, most of them are true stories from her younger days”, the son of her daughter, Colette Robinson, said. She was grandmother of 20 more, great-grandmother of 18, and great-great-grandmother of two.

The funeral arrangements for Thelma Laletha Robinson, who is also survived by a brother and two sisters, and other relatives, will be announced shortly.