Darlene Robbins

Our beloved mother, Mona “Darlene” Woolever
Robbins, 70, passed away May 4th following a brief
illness. To say Darlene was a long time educator is
truly not sufficient. She loved her students in Snyder
for 33 years and was an inspiration, a support, a guru,
a good laugh or a kick in the pants when they needed
it. Although she taught at the elementary, junior high,
and high school levels the majority of her career was
in Snyder Junior High as a librarian, history teacher,
and English teacher. She held her students to a high
standard, but made them all feel special. She had a
gift of love to which every teacher should aspire. She
was a professional advocate and a long term officer of
Texas Classroom Teacher Association helping to
assure fair practice for local teachers. She and her
cherished friend and fellow advocate, Charlotte
Clifton, fought many battles, both covert and overt, for
local teachers and the ISD.

We cannot mention the work mother did with her
students and neglect to mention all the heartfelt
anonymous heroism that she demonstrated day in
and day out taking care of the ones she loved at
home. In addition to raising two grandchildren after
raising her own children, she was more than a
caregiver to her father, mother, brother and husband.
Each of these loved ones suffered from a long term
illness, which doesn’t begin to describe the days and
weeks that turned into years of getting up in the
middle of the night and giving a sip of water or moving
a foot that won’t move, or wiping a face that couldn’t
smile anymore. Hundreds of trips to doctors all over
Texas, loading and unloading a person who couldn’t
move themselves anymore; feeding people that
wouldn’t or couldn’t eat and countless other small acts
of love that are truly exhausting work. She worked full
time throughout these years, many times she slept
during her lunch hour because she had been up all
night taking care of someone. She still educated her
students and took care of her kids throughout this
time.

Darlene was born in Alameda, California to Buck and
Louise Woolever on August 20, 1945, while her father
was employed in the war effort. She grew up in
Snyder and graduated from Snyder ISD, class of
1963. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas
Tech University with two masters degrees. Darlene
was a longtime member of Union Baptist Church.

On October 21, 1962 she married her high school
sweetheart, Billy W. Robbins. They began their life
together in Arlington, Texas where their children were
born. In 1977, they moved back to Snyder to open a
family business. Together they ran Bill's Body Shop
for over 40 years. Mother and Dad did not adhere to
child labor laws, but believed a family business should
involve the entire family. Many hours were spent
bonding together as a family while sanding and taping
a car. They were happily married for 47 years until his
death in 2009.

Mom loved her children and her grandchildren. Her
granddaughters attended luncheons at her home
regularly. She loved to impart knowledge on them
with everything from a good Bible quote at the right
moment (“Love one another” when we were fighting)
a little Ben Franklin, (“Cleanliness is next to
Godliness” when we were dirty) and certainly a touch
of Shakespeare (“Oh what a tangled web we weave,
when first we practice to deceive,” if ever we dared to
lie). Mother spent her last three years hosting tea
parties, chasing butterflies and dancing to Bruno Mars
with her tenth grandchild, Brinleigh. Her notoriety as
the co-star of the “fire the babysitter” series shall
forever live in infamy, setting the standard for
Grannys everywhere.

Darlene was preceded in death by her parents, her
husband and her brother, Stanley Woolever and one
grandson, Josh Hoover. She was the beloved mother
of two daughters, Kellie Miller and Lisa Harris, both of
Snyder and one son, Brad Robbins and his wife Dava
also of Snyder. Darlene had ten grandchildren,
Brandon Robbins of Trinidad, Colorado, Meagen
Rowlan and her husband, Matt of Pheniox Arizona,
Caedra Botts of Snyder, Skyler Harris of Lubbock,
Tanner Miller, Emily Harris, Maddy Harris, Darla
Robbins and Brinleigh Scates all from Snyder. She
has four great-grandchildren, Loren Rowlan, Alasdair
Botts and Hadley Standefer all of Snyder and Romi
Hoover of Midland.

Services are pending to the beginning of June.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105, (800) 822-6344; Project Smile, P.O. Box 336, Hopedale, MA 01747, (508) 634-0203, both of which she supported, locally she sent dog food and flea meds to the Second Chance Dog Rescue, P.O. Box 674, Snyder, TX 79550, (800) 647-7109.