Myrna Robinson
Nov. 20, 1947-Dec. 21, 2011
Menlo Park, California
Submitted by Linda Gray Sexton
Myrna Klee Robinson Nov. 20, 1947 - Dec. 21, 2011
When Myrna Klee Robinson passed from our lives, she left behind a devoted son and an entire community of bereaved friends. A longtime resident of Menlo Park, she died at the age of 64 in her home surrounded by family and friends. Shortly before her death from advanced melanoma, Myrna commented in a startled voice, "I never knew I was so beloved." And so she was. We all are blessed to have known her, and it was a comfort and a privilege to have been with her to the very end.
Born Nov. 20, 1947, in Pittsburg, Penn., only child of Edward and Sylvia Klee, Myrna lived in that area for her childhood and adolescence, and then went on to graduate from Vassar College in 1969. At that time, she took the courageous leap forward to relocate to the Bay Area, where she knew not a single person, as a way of changing her life. Once working in San Francisco, she went on to U.C. Berkeley to receive her Masters in Social Work in 1974. She married in 1981 and divorced in 1998.
She was a highly skilled and compassionate psychotherapist, with a thriving private practice in Palo Alto for 41 years. During that time, Myrna pursued many professional interests, including individual, couple and collaborative divorce counseling. She received an honorary Ph.D. from the esteemed Sanville Institute in the summer of 2011. Known for her extremely generous nature, she maintained several lifelong and meaningful friendships with people from all sorts of backgrounds. To be friends with Myrna was to be treasured.
She was a tireless and passionate campaigner for the Cleo Eulau Center, an organization that she had helped to create in honor of her mentor. The Center works to support a caring and emotional interaction between students and teachers, especially students who are at risk. The culmination of her work with the Center was becoming Chairperson of the Board and leading the agency to create a broader and more expansive reach with her commitment and vision. Under her ambassadorship, the center tripled in size, reaching a state-wide and national audience in this past year.
Broadening her horizons, Myrna also developed her longtime love of interior design, and spent any of her limited free time in the homes of those who needed imaginative help in finding a new face, and a new love for their residences. On Tuesday afternoons, Myrna would be found playing bridge with a tight-knit group of friends, who all looked to her as a caring teacher and master of the game.
Far more important than any of this, was her deep and exceptional relationship with her son, Eric Robinson, who survives her. She was an extraordinary mother. When Eric showed an early childhood interest in music, Myrna went to unusual lengths to foster his passion. He has since gone on to become a successful musician and record producer in Los Angeles. She never failed to be exceptionally supportive, giving and loving throughout his 30 years, helping her son to grow into a remarkable young man who has been stalwart, and tirelessly by her side in every conceivable way, throughout her prolonged illness.
A memorial service, open to the public, is to be held at Sharon Heights Country Club in Menlo Park, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 at 2 p.m. The family requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made in Myrna's name to the Cleo Eulau Center, 2483 Old Middlefield Way, Suite 208, Mountain View, CA 94303.
