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Provided by The Robinette Family
Vic Robinette, the beloved husband of Gretchen Robinette, passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving night, November 26, 2020, in his South Pasadena home with Gretchen at his side. Vic embraced life with amazing gusto, surrounding his family and friends with great warmth, dedication, love, and laughter.
He is survived by his two sons Patrick and Scott, his daughter-in-law Jennie, and his cherished grandsons Finn and Will Robinette. Vic’s extended family includes his sister-in-law Becky Gayman, Becky’s partner Peter and her daughters Jessica Power and Anna Hanisko as well as his sister-in-law Leslie Howland and her family: husband Tom, their daughter Laura Woliczko and their son Christopher Howland.
A graduate of South Pasadena High School (Class of 1962), Vic went on to PCC where he met Gretchen Gayman (SPHS Class of 1963), his wife of 55 years. After graduation from UC Berkeley in 1968, Vic and Gretchen joined the Peace Corps where they served as teachers in Malaysian Borneo. He and Gretchen returned to South Pasadena to raise their young family in the town they loved.
In his 30 years as a CPA, Vic was dedicated to his many loyal clients who came back year after year to, yes, “do their taxes”, but also to laugh and share life stories with Vic. Dedicated to his family and to his community, Vic served as the elected City Treasurer of South Pasadena for 15 years. His other contributions to South Pasadena included AYSO coach, member and past President of Kiwanis – he loved the 4th of July pancake breakfasts! He was also a board member and Treasurer of the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation, a board member of Holy Family Church’s Finance Council, a long-time and active member and supporter of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Oneonta Club.
Vic’s legacy is rich in love and friendship. He most enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, Always the life of the party, he loved to dance and join in lively discussions about history, politics, films, language, you name it. Most of all, Vic’s perfect day was hanging out with his grandsons or enjoying time and relaxing hours with Gretchen at their vacation home in Hawaii. He and Gretchen traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, Europe, and most recently went on safari in South Africa.
Curiosity, love of family, friends, his Holy Family Church, and community were at the center of Vic’s life. Funeral services will be held at Holy Family Church at a future date when Covid is no longer a threat to those in Vic’s life.
The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to Holy Family Church Mission Haiti at 1527 Fremont Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030. Mission Haiti is a Holy Family project that supports the Becky DeWine Schools for K-12 children in the slums of Cite Soleil, Haiti. Additionally, the project supports life-sustaining agricultural and small business proposals in Haiti.
Vic made a major contribution to our community. He was a man of many accomplishments and talents who used his humor, insight and smarts to do a lot of good in the world. I’ll miss him.