Donald Leon Robinson

Donald Leon Robinsons passed away peacefully on February 26, 2026, following an extended period of declining health. Don happily resided in Pensacola, Florida, for the last 15 years of his life with his wife, Susan Christiane Stephenson, who pre-deceased him by less than three months. Don and Sue enjoyed a wide variety of activities together, including foreign travel and involvement in local sailing, cultural, and musical activities, especially operatic in nature. Don himself was a very accomplished pianist, largely self-taught, adept in a variety of styles, including pop, jazz, and classical. He also authored a science fiction/fantasy book titled Once and Future Past: Awakening, published in 2009. Don and his twin brother, William (Bill), were born in Washington, D.C., on December 11, 1946, to Frances (Hicks) and James Robinson, both of whom were born and raised in the coal country of Kentucky and Tennessee during the Great Depression. Father Jim was a career Naval officer who served throughout WWII and in Vietnam. Don and Bill grew up in wide-ranging locations, including Norfolk, Virginia, Heidelberg, Germany, Arlington, Virginia, San Francisco, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii, where they graduated from University High School in 1964. Don attended the University of Hawaii for one year, then the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. While at UNM, Don enrolled in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and was commissioned as a Naval officer. He went on to serve aboard several Naval vessels deployed to Vietnam, including a destroyer and amphibious assault ship.After leaving the Navy, Don began a long career in the emerging computer software business. He performed software development and support with various companies, and as a private consultant. He eventually went to work for Navy Federal Credit Union as a systems manager, which is what brought him to Pensacola, where he met and married Sue Stephenson. Don became close with Sue's family, daughter Elise and sons Jonathon and Phillip. In addition to his brother, Don leaves behind 3 children (and their children), from his first marriage; Scott Robinson and his son GreysonRobinson (age 16); Courtney Fundukian and her daughters Isabelle (10) and Emma (4 months); and Allison Mitchell and her daughter Maya (9).