Obituary of Gary Robinson

Gary Alan Robinson was born November 17, 1942 at St. John Hospital in Tulsa, OK to Eleanor and Ralph Robinson. He passed from this life Friday, January 31, 2014 at the age of 71. He was a graduate of Tulsa Central High School and attended a couple of years at Northeastern State University. He joined the US Air Force, where he worked as an airplane mechanic. After serving, he came back to Tulsa to work in the family business, Phoenix Cleaners. He met Debbie, the love of his life in 1972. The two married in August of 1974 and their son, Todd Alan Robinson was born in April of 1977. Debbie, Todd and the cleaners were Gary's life. Gary was the sort of fella who didn't sugar coat anything, he was never afraid to tell you what he thought and what you should be doing. He had that sort of tough love and he made us all better for it. He was generous and kind, he would give anyone the shirt off his back but at the same time he watched every penny to make the most out every dime he earned. Gary wouldn't tell you out right because he wasn't very vocal when it came to affairs of the heart, but he was a family man. He loved Debbie and Todd more than anything. It was evident by his tireless efforts to provide them with a memorable life. Todd and Gary were best buds, from the beginning. He showed Todd everything he knew. He passed it all down... his work ethic, how to treat others, and how to run a business. Gary worked full time until he fully retired in 2007, when he handed Phoenix Cleaners down to his only son, Todd. However, Gary never stopped supervising or helping out. He would sit on his porch and watch the cleaners from across the street. You could find Todd and Gary on the porch over the past few years talking out certain projects, figuring it out one thing at a time - what machine, what part, what supplier - how much! He often couldn't sit still during the weekends and would go tinker around at the shop. Todd would return to notes on the counter of Gary's activities and his findings over the weekend. Todd's Monday morning to do list had been determined. When Gary got a wild hair or the energy he would come over and tell us all exactly what we needed to be doing and how to do it. The current and previous Phoenix crews mourn the loss of Gary as well. He was a great boss; always concerned for his employees. He often would have company cookouts or lunches to show his appreciation of the crew and their efforts. Gary had many hobbies... sometimes too many to count. Gary's favorite hobby was probably fishing and boating. He always attended the boat show and bought a new boat on or before Fourth of July. The boats were always named after his one true love, Debbie Gale. It's no surprise that the Fourth of July was his favorite holiday... good times, good friends, the lake, fishing and fun! He also enjoyed remote control boats and airplanes; fixing anything was fun to Gary. He loved music. He and Todd would have jam sessions on the guitars and drums Gary kept in his basement. Gary was a mechanic at heart and was genius at it, it came naturally to him. He could walk into the cleaners and just by hearing a creak, whir or whistle he could tell you what needed to be fixed and how exactly to do it. Todd knew this best of all: Gary always said it needed to be taken care of right then, don't even think about putting it off because something else will happen tomorrow. Some people call Gary a long-time Tulsa business owner, a mechanic, some a dry cleaner, some a Guru, a father, husband, friend, mentor, brother, son, boss, papa. He was all of those things. Each of us have our own memories of Gary... hold on to them! He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Debbie; son and daughter-in-law, Todd Alan and Allison Robinson; grandsons, Cooper Alan Robinson and Nash Garrett Robinson; his mother, Eleanor Robinson; his sister, Susan Abbe; his niece, Robin; and his nephew, David.