FALMOUTH – James A. Robinson Jr., a resident of Falmouth by the Sea, passed away Dec. 10, 2012, surrounded by his loving family. He was born April 24, 1920, in Portland, the son of James A. Robinson Sr. and Lillian Duffy.
He graduated from Deering High School in 1938, where he lettered in baseball and football. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy and later attended Columbia University. He served as a radioman on the USS McKee in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war’s end, he returned home to Portland to his wife, and the 1-year-old daughter he’d never met. He worked as a salesman at Couri Motor Co. for two years before becoming one of the first television announcers in the state. In 1954, he moved his family to Bangor, where he helped to establish the local NBC affiliate, WLBZ-TV. He served as station manager, and among his many accomplishments he hired beloved television personality, Eddie Driscoll and news anchor, John Dougherty. After leaving WLBZ he embarked on a very successful sales career with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, before retiring in 1992, and moved with his wife to Myrtle Beach, S.C. He developed a passion for golf, which lasted for the remainder of his life. He was a member of Bangor Municipal Golf Course for many years, where he developed many lasting friendships. After he retired he worked as a golf ranger in Myrtle Beach. A more effective and diligent ranger would be hard to find. He was an avid viewer of all things golf on television, and openly professed how much he missed being able to play in his later years. He loved to travel, which brought him to Europe and Bermuda several times, as well as various other destinations. Other life-long passions included classical music and reading, and he also had a strong appreciation of art. He served as president of Bangor Community Concerts He also read the daily newspaper cover to cover, and loved completing the New York Times crossword puzzle.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife of more than 53 years, Muriel G. Robinson; two daughters, Kathleen and Elizabeth; and a son, John. He is survived by his loving children, Susan Fowles and her husband, Donald, of Cape Elizabeth, Mary Lou Majka and her husband, Michael, of Murrells Inlet, S.C., Jane Zaslaw and her husband, Steven, of Canton, Mass., James Robinson III and his wife, Marcella, of Palm Harbor, Fla., Richard Robinson and his partner, Robert Manganello, of Cape Elizabeth, and William Robinson of Portland. He also leaves behind 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, all of whom were special to him.
A funeral mass and celebration of his life will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at Holy Cross Church. A reception will be at Hobbs Hospitality Center. Interment will take place at Woodlawn Cemetery, Westbrook, later in the day. Arrangements are under the direction of Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland.
James A. Robinson Jr.
