Betty J Robinson

Betty Janis Robinson, 91, of Keene, died late Thursday evening, September 7, 2017, at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Jaffrey, after a period of failing health.

She was one half of a set of identical twin girls, born on April 19, 1926, in Knoxville, TN, to John Paul and Janis (Young ) Sotherland. She grew up in Dayton, OH and was a 1944 graduate of the Fairmont High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Miami University in Oxford, OH.

She was an antique dealer, and owner of the White House Antiques in Waynesville, OH. She specialized in illustrated children’s books.

She married Miles Robinson, on September 25, 1982, in a ceremony in Sudbury, MA. They enjoyed 25 years of marriage before his death on May 8, 2007.

She was a member of the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church and was formerly a regular helper at the Keene Community Kitchen and was active at the Keene Senior Center. She also formed poetry groups at both the Keene and Thomaston Maine Unitarian Universalist Churches.

She is survived by her children: Victoria Whiting and her husband Bill of Princeton, MA, Kathy Mercon of Urbana, IL and Steve Stansel of Newburyport, MA; seven grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; a niece: Robin Gilbert of Worthington, OH; a nephew: Kevin Gilbert of Lexington, KY; as well as four step children and their grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband: Miles Robinson and her twin sister, Sue Gilbert.

There are no public calling hours or services planned at this time. A private family celebration of Betty’s life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made, in Betty J. Robinson’s name, to the charity of one’s choice.