Kenneth Francis Robison, 79, passed away on Sunday, June 29, in Evanston. He was born in Maryville, Missouri, on Aug. 18, 1945, to Francis John Robison and Mina Alice Robison (Espey).
In Ken’s young life, he was often found on his grandparents’ farms running around with his brothers, Wayne and David, and their cousins.
At a young age, their family moved to Denver, Colorado, where he met his love, Gerda, early in their teenage years. Ken and Gerda were married on July 26, 1964, and soon welcomed their son, Stephan Paul Robison (Karrie Knopf).
Ken attended Colorado State University to obtain his bachelor’s degree and attended nursing school for anesthesiology in Denver. He completed his residency in Rochester, Minnesota, at the Mayo Clinic.
Ken and Gerda decided to move their family to Evanston, because it was close to their parents in Denver. Ken worked at the State Hospital, and the Evanston hospital with Dr. Danes and Dr. Tesoro, and a high-spirited nursing staff.
Once the new hospital was built, Ken continued practicing nursing for 38 years at Evanston Regional Hospital with his business Evanston Anesthesia where he was devoted to each patient. While in Evanston, Ken and Gerda built their home and welcomed Christopher John Robison (Lily Robison) and Susan Marie Anderson (Joshua Anderson).
Ken was involved in the community from Urban Renewal to hosting parties with their many friends in Evanston. Ken was also close to his extended family, ensuring that cousins continued talking and having get togethers as often as possible.
Ken and Gerda moved to Page, Arizona, in 2010, where Ken continued working on the Navajo and Hopi reservation at the Tuba clinic for 11 years. At retirement, Ken and Gerda decided to split their time between Yuba, Arizona, and Pinedale, with visits to Evanston to see their grandchildren.
Ken’s four grandchildren were the apple of his eye: Jonah and Anna Anderson, Emma and Isaiah Robison. For a few years, Ken and Gerda would grab their grandchildren for road trips, visiting the bat caves in New Mexico, or the coast of California. Every road trip began with Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” He was proud of his children and grandchildren.
Ken and Gerda had many adventures throughout their almost 61 years of marriage. If you knew them, you were either a part of these adventures or had heard the stories. From clothes flying off their motorcycle through Mexico, being stranded in the Sonoran Desert, or showing up at a five-star hotel on their first day in Paris on a tow truck, it was “always something.”
