John Frank Robinson

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Riser and Son Funeral Home in Columbia, La., for John Frank Robinson, 80, who died June 20, 2023.  Rev. Amanda Carpenter, pastor of Grayson Methodist Church will be officiating for the services.

The family is requesting visitors’ hours be held Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 9:00 AM to the time of service at 11:00 AM. Serving as pallbearers will be Todd Whiting, Wesley Burns, Dillon Fabacher, James Whiting, Keith Whiting, and Cody McElroy.  Honorary pallbearers will be John Wesley McKeithen and John “Sonny” Patterson.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sarah Waldrop Robinson of Grayson; two daughters, Sherry Robinson of Grayson, and Lora Robinson Whiting (Todd) of Crowley, La; one sister, Mary Burns (Don) of Grayson; 2 brothers in law, Stan Waldrop (Jackie) of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Hal Waldrop (Donna) of Frisco, Texas; 3 grandchildren, Dillon Ray Fabacher (Haleigh), James Whiting, and Keith Whiting; and one great grandchild, Greta Claire Whiting; 4 nephews, Wesley Burns (Tonya), Matthew Waldrop, Adam Waldrop (Carolina), Bryan Waldrop (Lori); and 2 nieces, Caroline Degarmo and Tiffany Dobbelaer (Jared).

John was born in Columbia, La on March 24^th, 1943. Raised in Grayson until he and his wife Sarah, moved to Baton Rouge for John to attend college at LSU.  While there, they welcomed their first daughter Sherry.  Realizing how much children can cost, after graduating LSU with a Bachelors Degree, the three of them moved to Ames, Iowa to attend grad school at Iowa State University.  He worked full time at the USDA European Corn Borer Research Station while attending ISU.  While there, their favorite daughter, Lora, was born (bet you guessed who penned this).  After graduating ISU with a PhD in Entomology, (you’re probably googling entomology right now) they set out for Charleston, South Carolina.  John worked as a Research Entomologist at the USDA, Clemson University Vegetable Laboratory.  After several years, they longed to be closer to family, and with a few not so gentle nudges from the grandparents, John and Sarah moved back to a town in south Louisiana, Crowley.  There John worked as an Entomologist at the LSU Rice Research Station and Sarah worked for the local State Farm agent, until the girls had graduated high school and were in college.  Not wanting the girls to become “Boomerang Kids” (bet you’re googling that too), John accepted a job as the resident director of the University of Arkansas, Rice Research and Extension Center, in Stuttgart, Arkansas.  While there he oversaw multiple projects, until he retired in 2001.  Once retired, John and Sarah moved back to Grayson, where it all started.  While “retired” (big air quotes), John did consulting work as an entomologist and traveled to French Guiana and South Korea; he served on the Caldwell Parish Industrial Development Board, served as President of the Caldwell Parish School Board, was on the Welcome Home Cemetery board, Grayson Reunion Committee, taught Sunday school and participated in the Grayson Methodist Church’s Methodist Mens group.

John loved to have fun, loved to travel, loved his friends.  If you were his friend, you were his friend for life.  He loved to learn, loved to read, loved music, loved collecting knives, loved helping people, loved his church, and most of all loved his family. 

He will be missed immensely.