Darlene Robbins

( August 20, 1945 - May 04, 2016 )

Our beloved mother, Mona “Darlene” Woolever
Robbins, 70, passed away May 4th following a brief illness. To say Darlene was a long time educator is truly not sufficient. She loved her students in Snyder
for 33 years and was an inspiration, a support, a guru, a good laugh or a kick in the pants when they needed it. Although she taught at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels the majority of her career was in Snyder Junior High as a librarian, history teacher, and English teacher. She held her students to a high standard, but made them all feel special. She had a gift of love to which every teacher should aspire. She was a professional advocate and a long term officer of Texas Classroom Teacher Association helping to assure fair practice for local teachers. She and her cherished friend and fellow advocate, Charlotte
Clifton, fought many battles, both covert and overt, for local teachers and the ISD.

We cannot mention the work mother did with her students and neglect to mention all the heartfelt anonymous heroism that she demonstrated day in and day out taking care of the ones she loved at home. In addition to raising two grandchildren after raising her own children, she was more than a caregiver to her father, mother, brother and husband. Each of these loved ones suffered from a long term illness, which doesn’t begin to describe the days and weeks that turned into years of getting up in the middle of the night and giving a sip of water or moving a foot that won’t move, or wiping a face that couldn’t
smile anymore. Hundreds of trips to doctors all over Texas, loading and unloading a person who couldn’t move themselves anymore; feeding people that
wouldn’t or couldn’t eat and countless other small acts of love that are truly exhausting work. She worked full time throughout these years, many times she slept during her lunch hour because she had been up all night taking care of someone. She still educated her students and took care of her kids throughout this time.

Darlene was born in Alameda, California to Buck and Louise Woolever on August 20, 1945, while her father was employed in the war effort. She grew up in
Snyder and graduated from Snyder ISD, class of 1963. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas Tech University with two masters degrees. Darlene
was a longtime member of Union Baptist Church.

On October 21, 1962 she married her high school sweetheart, Billy W. Robbins. They began their life together in Arlington, Texas where their children were
born. In 1977, they moved back to Snyder to open a family business. Together they ran Bill's Body Shop for over 40 years. Mother and Dad did not adhere to
child labor laws, but believed a family business should involve the entire family. Many hours were spent bonding together as a family while sanding and taping
a car. They were happily married for 47 years until his death in 2009.

Mom loved her children and her grandchildren. Her granddaughters attended luncheons at her home regularly. She loved to impart knowledge on them
with everything from a good Bible quote at the right moment (“Love one another” when we were fighting) a little Ben Franklin, (“Cleanliness is next to
Godliness” when we were dirty) and certainly a touch of Shakespeare (“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,” if ever we dared to lie). Mother spent her last three years hosting tea parties, chasing butterflies and dancing to Bruno Mars with her tenth grandchild, Brinleigh. Her notoriety as the co-star of the “fire the babysitter” series shall forever live in infamy, setting the standard for Grannys everywhere.

Darlene was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her brother, Stanley Woolever and one grandson, Josh Hoover. She was the beloved mother of two daughters, Kellie Miller and Lisa Harris, both of Snyder and one son, Brad Robbins and his wife Dava also of Snyder. Darlene had ten grandchildren, Brandon Robbins of Trinidad, Colorado, Meagen Rowlan and her husband, Matt of Pheniox Arizona, Caedra Botts of Snyder, Skyler Harris of Lubbock, Tanner Miller, Emily Harris, Maddy Harris, Darla Robbins and Brinleigh Scates all from Snyder. She has four great-grandchildren, Loren Rowlan, Alasdair Botts and Hadley Standefer all of Snyder and Romi Hoover of Midland.