Obituary: Robson, Eleanor
Eleanor was born January 30, 1925, in Fresno, Calif., the youngest of six children.
She passed away quietly at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center August 18, 2012.
Her father, Elmer, brought the family to the Lewiston area in 1930 where he’d work at the new paper mill.
Eleanor had many memories of the Lewiston area especially Normal Hill and the area around St. Stan’s school.
She used to follow her older brothers to school.
The Sisters enjoyed her and she frequently stayed for awhile coloring until her mom came to pick her up.
She was a true tom-boy following her older brothers around, running, playing by the river, getting in trouble.
Eleanor’s father died suddenly when she was 7 years old changing her life tremendously.
This was during the depression and her mother had to find work to support herself and the children still at home.
There was no insurance or welfare in those days.
About six months after Eleanor’s father died, her mother went back east for a few weeks to visit family.
Eleanor remembered vividly having to go to the orphanage/children’s home at Slickpoo, Idaho.
She was miserable there.
She tells the story of running away twice from the school when she was all of 7 years old.
As a teenager Eleanor lived in Spokane.
Grandma ran a boarding house near Gonzaga and Eleanor went to high school at Holy Names Academy.
During the war years Eleanor worked many jobs: telephone operator, riveter in a factory, housekeeper and nanny.
She was never without a string of boyfriends and totally enjoyed dancing, roller skating, horseback riding.
One night roller skating with friends, she met a handsome, interesting airman, Linda’s dad, Jack Robson.
Jack was dating Mom’s girl friend.
Jack soon began pursuing Eleanor’s favor by taking her roller skating, dancing and to family gatherings.
Mom tolerated his pursuit, but was annoyed by his confident, friendly to all, handsome lady’s man personality.
Everyone in the family loved Jack and encouraged Eleanor to date him.
Jack finally gained her love after a two year courtship.
Jack was due to be shipped to the war front any day and with only a weekend notice Eleanor traveled to the air base and they married November 4, 1943, at Colorado Springs Air Force Base.
Eleanor fondly told stories of the month she had with Jack before he was shipped to Africa on Christmas Eve 1943.
Eleanor moved to Johnstown, Penn., during the war years to get to know Jack’s family.
She struggled with the move but she was lucky to meet Laurene Fluder and her family.
Eleanor developed a lifelong connection with this large Polish Catholic family.
After Jack returned from WWII, they stayed in Johnstown for a year or so until Jack decided he wanted to get out of the coal and steel mills and make their home out west in Spokane.
They packed up their belongings and made their home in Spokane.
Jack worked at Armor’s meat packing plant for a few years and Mom would adopt the calves that Jack would bring home.
She would raise the calves in their back yard, hand feeding them toast as they came to the kitchen.
The calves of course grew and would eventually be their meat for the winter.
This was not easy, but part of making a life.
Eleanor and Jack had very little money but life was good and their life was filled with playing cards, making a home and lots of friends and family.
In 1950 Jack began his career at the railroad.
He worked there until his retirement in 1985.
Eleanor and Jack fostered children for several years when they discovered they were unable to have their own.
In 1952 they became adoptive parents to their first child, Linda, followed two years later by their son Mark.
After Jack died in 2005, Eleanor’s life was empty.
She grieved the loss of her great love and friend and barely functioned until moving to Clarkston and where she lived at Evergreen Estates.
She began to enjoy life again as she followed Linda around.
Mother and daughter became a twosome and made many jaunts around town, shopping, going out to lunch, canning tomatoes, and many games of cut-throat Scrabble.
Linda will fondly remember this time and promises to pass on her love of making a home and enjoying life to the fullest.
“I’ll keep my Scrabble game out as a great stress reliever and always be ready to be a friend,” says Linda.
Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents: Elmour and Josephine Hibbard, her siblings Loretta (Woodland), Berneice (Sr. Ann), Loretta, Clayton, Warren and Merle Hibbard.
She is survived by her daughter Linda Rosetti, her husband, Corrie Rosetti of Clarkston, and their sons Tony Rosetti of Clarkston and Ryan Rosetti and his wife Kim of Spokane; her son Mark Robson of Hermiston and his children Jed Robson of Lagrande and Sara Hofbauer and husband, Phillip, and children Emit, Cody and Bobbi of Ukiah.
A coffee and breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m., the rosary will be said at 10:00 a.m. followed by the funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m., all on Saturday, August 25, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Clarkston.
An interment will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Cemetery Chapel, 7200 N. Wall St., in Spokane.