Posted by: thepinetree on 08/04/2016 11:30 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 08/04/2016 11:30 PM
Expires: 01/01/2021 12:00 AM
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Leigh Harold Robinson February 2, 1940 - June 26, 2016
Arnold, CA...Leigh Robinson was born in Inglewood, California to Muriel and Dario Robinson, the third of their four children. Leigh’s father, Dario, loved journalism and had worked for several newspapers in southern California. In 1949, he purchased a small weekly newspaper called the Carmen Headlight, Alfalfa County’s Oldest Newspaper, and moved his family to Carmen, Oklahoma, population 425. The venture was not entirely successful, however, and in 1951, the family left the tornados and harsh Oklahoma winters and returned to southern California and eventually settled in Ontario.
Growing up, Leigh always had a business venture going, including a shoe shine stand, paper route, lawn mowing business and a ‘worms for bait’ mail order franchise. In his early teens, Leigh decided he wanted to become a Lutheran minister and, to that end, he enrolled at California Concordia College in Oakland. At some point during his years there, that ambition faded and he entered UCLA where he majored in English. After college, Leigh became a high school English teacher, teaching for twelve years at Richmond High School.
In 1963, Leigh met Iona “Ivy” Levno, a girl born on a ranch in Montana, who was then working for Pan American Airways in San Francisco. Leigh and Ivy were married in 1964 and they spent the following year touring Europe and living in England before returning to Berkeley where Leigh resumed his career as a high school English teacher and Ivy continued working for Pan Am. It was during these years that Leigh began to purchase and renovate apartment buildings in Richmond and San Pablo. Eventually, he sold all of these building and invested in mobile home parks, motels and storage unit facilities, which he continued to own and manage throughout his life.
In 1972, Leigh wrote a book entitled “Landlording” -- a guide for landlords which was based on his own extensive landlording experience. The first printing sat in his garage for several months before being reviewed in the real estate sections of the Sacramento Bee, the San Francisco Examiner and the San Diego Union. It received glowing reviews and thereafter became a national real estate best seller, even being named as one of the ten top real estate books of the year. Another book on that list was entitled “The Art of the Deal” by this year’s Republican presidential nominee. (The difference between the latter and Leigh’s book was that Leigh did not have a ghostwriter.)
Leigh and Ivy enjoyed their life together in the Bay Area, especially attending local theater and traveling the world to see productions of Wagner’s The Ring. They also enjoyed golfing and were longtime members of Mira Vista Country Club in El Cerrito. In his later years, Leigh took up long distance bicycling and participated in the annual Cycle Oregon event for several years. Leigh was a pilot and enjoyed flying his Cessna Skyhawk. He was also a member of the Berkeley Breakfast Club where he formed many lasting friendships.
Leigh and Ivy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 16, 2014, joined by over one hundred friends and relatives. Leigh was pre-deceased by Ivy who died on February 4, 2015. He is survived by his brother, Daniel Robinson of Sacramento, sister Nancy Robinson of Taos, nieces Deborah Robinson of Oakland, Kathleen Boden of Corona, Michele Fletcher of Oakland, three nephews, Peter Robinson of Springfield, Oregon, Michael Robinson of San Marcos and Andrew Robinson of Portland, Oregon.
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