Roberta “Robin” Simmons York was born in Oakland, California on June 12, 1922 to Ruby and Frank Simmons. On September 7, 2015, she passed away peacefully at home.

Robin was a lifelong resident of El Cerrito, CA. She graduated from Berkeley with a BA in art.

After college, Robin fulfilled her dream of teaching art by spending most of her teaching years at Richmond High School. She loved working with high school age students and enjoyed their spirit and she encouraged them to explore various mediums of art. In addition, Robin felt that she was part of an exceptional faculty and developed rich friendships that continued far beyond the classroom and into retirement.

Golf was Robin’s favorite hands-on sport. She joined the Richmond Country Club when it was in the early days and the dues were around $18.00 per month! The fairways were mostly bare ground with greens and aprons of grass. Lifelong friendships developed with the game, leading to competitions California wide plus some out of state events. Robin was an active golfer well into her 80’s. She played in Hawaii, Pebble Beach, Tahoe and Palm Springs, Ireland, Scotland and Istanbul.

One day on the “Old Course” at St. Andrews, our caddie, Mr. Johnson sighed, “Ah Lassie – if ye could ooonly putt!

Robin was great in sports, but romance, not so much. After 3 unsuccessful marriages she decided NO MORE. Then fate stepped in. She and the widower of her best faculty friend became a couple. Andy owned a successful business and they enjoyed sharing a pattern of weeklong stays at luxury resorts for R & R. Eventually he retired and cruising was added to this beautiful life style. They shared wonderful memories, laughter, friends and bridge!

Robin’s parents gave her a ticket to Europe on a Holland-American liner when she was in college. She had a lovely inside cabin in 1st class. What a voyage! She met a golfing friend in France and they traveled for 7 weeks. Robin sketched castles throughout England for an independent college project and melded two of her favorite things: travel and creating art. This trip cemented her love of travel for a lifetime. After this trip, she would save for 2 years and travel the next time with a good friend from either the faculty or the golfing world. B & B’s were part of the experiences, allowing her to gradually cover the British Isles from Skye to the Channel Islands, to be very familiar with Europe. She was also able to safari in Kenya and swim in Rio de Janerio, visit the Taj Majal in India, climb the mountains of Machu Pichu, explore the Galapagos, and dine by Lake Como. Robin had a wonderful story to share with friends about the world and the many cities she visited in the United States.

One of Robin’s greatest joys was her friends. She made friends wherever she went and whatever she was doing. She had a knack for engaging people and making one and all feel special. Robin was very fortunate in that she had the good fortune to keep many of her friends for a lifetime. She had the ability to listen compassionately and gently remind people of the humor in many of life situations. Her wit and joy of life will be something we all carry with us in our hearts.

Robin loved life, friends, bridge, art, museums, symphony, opera, plays, golf and travel and she pursed each passionately. Please join us to celebrate Robin. A memorial will be held at the Bellevue Club in Oakland, CA on Sunday, September 27th from 4:00-6:00 PM.