William Durl Robinson

WILLIAM DURL ROBINSON, AGE 93, JOINED HIS SAVIOUR ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2023, AT 1:55 IN THE AFTERNOON AT HIS HOME IN RURAL RICH HILL, MISSOURI WITH FAMILY AT HIS BEDSIDE.  DURL LEAVES BEHIND HIS LOVING WIFE ANNIE AMELIA GEIST-DOR-FER ROBINSON OF 61 YEARS, FOUR LIVING CHILDREN:  CHARLES HARRELL ROBINSON AND JESSICA OF RICHARDS, MISSOURI; WILLIAM “BILLY” DURL ROBINSON, JR AND WIFE BRIGITTE OF ST LOUIS, MISSOURI; BARBARA MARTHENIA ROBINSON-GIFT AND SPOUSE RON OF RICHARDS, MISSOURI; AND DAUGHTER DIANE CAIN OF CLINTON, MISSOURI.  ALONG WITH FAMILY MEMBERS, THERE IS DURL’S SPECIAL LIFE LONG FRIEND AND COON-HUNTING, WATER RACING BUDDY, ROBERT “BOB’ GRAY OF NEVADA, MISSOURI.   MANY LOVING FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHO WILL MISS HIM DEARLY.

DURL WAS BORN IN A FARMHOUSE ABOUT 3 MILES OUT OF OSCEOLA, MISSOURI.  HE GREW UP AROUND OSCEOLA GOING TO THE OSCEOLA SCHOOLS AND ATTENDING THE METHODIST CHURCH WITH HIS YOUNGER SISTER NETA MAE ROBINSON CAUTHON.  DURL HAD FOUR OLDER BROTHERS, OMER, WARNIE, GENE, AND MELBERN WHO WERE AWAY FIGHTING IN WORLD WAR II, WHILE DURL AND NETA WERE GROWING UP.  HE ALSO HAD AN OLDER SISTER, EVA ROBINSON GRIMES AND A YOUNGER SISTER, NETA MAE. 

IF DURL WAS MISSING AT SCHOOL, YOU COULD BET HE COULD BE FOUND IN ONE OF HIS FAVORITE FISHING HOLES OR AT THE OSCEOLA DAM…   ONE MEMORY OF DURL’S CHILDHOOD WAS THAT HIS PARENTS HAD GOTTEN HIM A NEW PAIR OF SHOES (SOMETHING THAT OFTEN ONLY HAPPENED ANNUALLY BACK IN THE HARD TIMES).  WELL, DURL HAD BEEN IN AT THE LOCAL GENERAL STORE AND HE HAD A SWEET TOOTH.  HE SOLD HIS NEW SHOES AND TOOK THAT MONEY AND GOT HIM SOME SWEETS, ATE THEM ALL UP, AND HE SAID THAT THEY TASTED GOOD.  HIS FATHER ASKED HIM WHERE HIS SHOES WAS THAT EVENING AND DURL DID NOT TELL A LIE.  DURLS DAD WENT And GOT THE SHOES BACK AND DURL HAD A LESSON TO LEARN THAT DAY, HOWEVER, HE SAID HE STILL ENJOYED THE CANDY.

AT THE TENDER AGE OF JUST 17, WILLIAM DURL ROBINSON SIGNED UP FOR THE ARMY FOLLOWING IN HIS BROTHER’S FOOTSTEPS.  CORPORAL ROBINSON SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY, 23^RD REGIMENT , 2^ND BATTALION, FOX COMPANY, 3^RD PLATOON, 3^RD SQUADRON.  BASIC TRAINING FOR THE ARMY WAS SERVED IN CAMP BRECKENRIDGE, KENTUCKY FOR 16 WEEKS BEFORE HEADING OFF TO WAR. DURL SAID HE RODE A SHIP PART WAY TO KOREA, THEN A HELICOPTER AND MARCHED.   WHILE CORPORAL ROBINSON WAS A MOTORMAN HE WAS OFFERED A PROMOTION BUT CHOSE TO STAY WITH HIS COMRADES ON THE FRONT LINE WHERE HE WAS VERY HONORABLY KNOWN. 

AFTER RETURNING FROM WAR, DURL WAS VISITING BUTCH GEISTDORFER AND PITCHING PENNIES IN THE BACKYARD WHEN BUTCH’S SISTER ANNIE SHOWED UP AND DISTRACTED DURL, FOREVER MORE.  A WEEK OR SO LATER, ANNIE WAS OFF WORK, RECOUPING FROM STEPPING ON A NAIL, WHEN DURL ASKED HER OUT.  SOME OF THEIR DATES INCLUDED COON DOG WATER RACES, GOING TO THE SHOWS AND DANCES.

DURL HAD MANY ADMIRERERS OF HIS KEEN ABILITY TO HUNT, TRAP AND CATCH THE BIG ONES THAT OTHERS ONLY DARED TO DREAM OF, BUT CLAIMED THE BEST CATCH OF HIS LIFE WAS ANNIE.    IT IS RUMORED THAT WILLIAM DURL ROBINSON MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE USED DYNAMITE IN A COUPLE OF HIS FISHING EXPEDITIONS…

DURL ALSO ENJOYED RIDING MULES AND HORSES.  DURL, BECAME A CHAMPION IN MULTIPLE STATES WITH HIS DOGS, ONE SUCH WAS SKIDROW JOE.  SKIDROW JOE AND DURL WON 1^ST AND 2^ND TREE IN THE WORLDS LARGEST DOG RACE, CANTON, OHIO.  IN 1967,  DURL SOLD ONE COON DOG FOR ENOUGH TO BUY THE FAMILY HOME SOUTH OF RICH HILL, MISSOURI WHERE THEY MOVED FROM INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI IN 1970.

 LATER IN LIFE DURL ALSO BECAME KNOWN AS THE ROADSIDE PEDDLER, SELLING PRODUCE LIKE CORN, WATERMELON, PUMPKINS, TOMATOES, AND PECANS ALONG 71 HIGHWAY. 

RAIN, SLEET, OR SNOW COULDN’T STOP THIS MAN FROM PUTTING IN A DAY’S HARD WORK.

DURL AND ANNIE RAISED THEIR CHILDREN, DEBORAH MARIE, CHARLES HARRELL, WILLIAM DURL “BILLY” AND BARBARA  MARTHENIA IN THE COUNTRY SOUTH OF RICH HILL, MISSOURI. 

UNDER THIS HARD-CORE EXTERIOR, MUCH TO HIS KID’S SURPRISE, WAS A BIG OLE SOFTY, ONCE THE 8 GRANDS MADE THEIR ENTRANCES.  FIRST WAS MICHEAL SCOTT ROBINSON, GRANDPA AND MICHEAL WERE SOMEWHAT INSEPERABLE AS DURL ASLO PLAYED THE ROLE OF MICHEALS FATHER FIGURE.  NEXT IN THE GRANDCHILDRENS LINE WAS WILLIAM DURL “WILL” ROBINSON III AND LISA MARIE ROBINSON, THEN FRANK JEFFERSON WOODALL II,  DEREK S. WOODALL, CHELSEA JORDON ROBINSON, CASSONDRA RAYE-ANN ELLISTON AND LASTLY TAYLOR CHARLES ROBINSON. STEP GRANDCHILDREN INCLUDED TONI ELAINE STINNETT CARGILE AND BRADEN STINNETT.

DURL ALSO HAD A DAUGHTER FROM HIS FIRST MARRIAGE, DIANE CAIN FROM CLINTON, MISSOURI.

DURLS 18 GREAT-GRANDS INCLUDE RYLEE JORDON, MIKELLA ANNE MARIE, TIMBER BREANN, CONNER DEAN, KAMBRIE , SOPHIE GRACE, BRANTLEY MORGAN, CORBIN SANTANA, COEHYN MONTANA, RYVIN MARVIN,  CHANDLER JAMES, JAYLYNN MARIE, BENTLEY WAYNE,  JAMES MICHEAL,  SILENCE DAWN, MARIANNA REANN,  KIMBERLEY ANN AND MALAKI JOSIAH.

DURL HAD A PASSION FOR HUNTING, FISHING, AND BEING OUTDOORS THROUGH OUT HIS ENTIRE LIFE. HE SHARED HIS LOVE OF GARDENING WITH HIS KIDS, GRANDKIDS, AND GREAT-GRANDKIDS, SHARING THE CROP WITH HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. 

HIS FAMILY OFTEN GATHERED EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE WEEKLY DINNER AND WATCHING OF K.C. ROYALS, K.C. CHIEFS, OR MAYBE EVEN A RODEO WHICH HE AND BARBARA WATCHED MANY A WEEKEND EVENING.  DURL ALSO HAD A FONDNESS OF BLUE-GRASS MUSIC AND HIS FAMILY WAS SURPRISED ON HIS 88^TH BIRTHDAY, HE SAID TO ANNIE, “ANN, I WANT A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND I WANT 88 PEOPLE THERE”  DURL HAD ALWAYS BEEN A “YA’ALL GO OVERBOARD FOR THAT XXXX CRAP, WASTE A LOT OF MONEY…”  ANYWAYS, THE GOOD LORD PROVIDED 88 PEOPLE ON THAT BIRTHDAY PARTY WHICH CONTINUED TO BE HELD ANNUALLY IN JUNE TO CELEBRATE THE LEGEND, WILLIAM DURL ROBINSON, SR.   PAULA NEWMAN AND HER BAND, PORTIA CORNER PLAYED BLUEGRASS SOUNDS WITH FIDDLING, HARMONICA AND SINGING AND DANCING. FAMILY AND FRIENDS GATHERED CATFISH AND RIBS AND ALL THE SIDE DISHES TO CELEBRATE FAMILY AND FRIENDS. 

WILLIAM DURL ROBINSON, SR. , LOVING HUSBAND, FATHER AND VERY, VERY PROUD GRANDFATHER.  HIS LOVE GREW STRONGER EACH YEAR.

Funeral Service will be held at 1 pm, Saturday, September 23, 2023 at the Heuser Funeral Home.  Visitation will be from 6 pm to 7 pm, Friday, September 22, 2023 at the Heuser Funeral Home.  Burial will be at Green Lawn Cemetery.  Memorial contributions are suggested to River Side Cowboy Church Youth Fund and may be sent in care of Heuser Funeral Home P.O. Box 42 Rich Hill, Missouri 64779.