Duane (Dewey) Robinson

Duane (Dewey) Robinson, of Anchorage, Alaska, formerly of Mason City, IA, died peacefully at home on Monday, October 7, 2013, at the age of 67. His life was shortened by a 21-year courageous struggle with cancer. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, October 18, 2013, at the First United Methodist Church, 119 S. Georgia – Mason City, with Rev. Sean McRoberts officiating. Interment will be in the Nora Springs Park Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the church service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to a charity of your choice. Dewey was born in Eldora, Iowa in 1945. He grew up in Nora Springs, Iowa and graduated in 1963. He was an accomplished wrestler and an Iowa state runner-up champion. After high school he worked at Jacob E. Decker and Sons (Armour) in Mason City, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967 as a bridge engineer and medic in Viet Nam. He returned to Deckers until he moved to Alaska with his wife Judy in 1972. He built trusses, doors, and windows at Alaska Builders Cache until he founded Dewey’s Garage in 1978. He loved mechanical repair work and welding. When he was too sick to work, he still put on his overalls and sat in the garage, dispensing free advice to customers, friends, and neighbors. He also loved spending time “off the grid” at the homestead on the Susitna River. There he enjoyed hunting moose, watching wildlife from his kitchen table, visiting with friends, and working in a very special shop built by his friend Larry Siekmeier. His friends and family said: Dewey was the toughest yet most gentle person we have known. Nobody had better tools, cleaner guns, sharper knives, or cleaner moose meat than Dewey. He was generous with his possessions, his technical expertise, and his wisdom about life’s rewards and hardships. His mother had three children, but Dewey’s family was much, much bigger. Friends of all races and faiths claim him as a brother. He was preceded in death by his father, James Robinson and his brother, Donald L. Robinson. He is survived by his wife Judy A. Robinson; his beloved dog Elsie; his mother Thelma Klemensen in Mason City, Iowa; his sister Delores Treloar in Edmond, Oklahoma; nephews David Robinson and Cory Robinson in Wasilla, Alaska; nieces Felicia Kruse, Universal City, Texas; Misty Humphries, Midland, Texas; and Robin Manning, Hedrick, Oklahoma along with numerous great nieces and nephews.

Cemetery:
Interment will be in the Nora Springs Park Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to a charity of your choice.

Visitation:
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the church service.

Service:
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, October 18, 2013, at the First United Methodist Church