BY JENNIFER WILLIS
Dona and Bobbie Robinson were married Aug. 26, 1948, in Long Beach, Calif., just a few months after meeting on a blind date.
Dona, who will be 82 on June 27, and Bobbie, 84, are both active in their local Mormon church. The couple have five children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The Oregonian caught up with the Robinsons in their Southwest Portland home to learn their secret to a long and happy marriage.
How did you meet?
Dona: Blind date. He only went out with me because his friend told him I had red hair. Loves redheads.
Bobbie: Well, my mother was red.
Dona: The problem was I had henna'd my hair. When it started fading, I said to my mother, "What do I do?" She said, "Tell him." He didn't care.
Bobbie: She was always very independent. She doesn't let anybody step on her, especially if she's right.
Northwest love stories
This is the latest installment in our series featuring inspiring couples who have reached the 50-, 60- and 70-year mark in marriage, as well as Q&As with other notable couples in Oregon and Washington who have remarkable tales to tell (you can read previous stories at
). If you think you know of a couple we should talk to, contact us at living@oregonian.com and include the words "love stories" in the subject field.
Was it love at first sight?
Dona: No! Not for me. I thought he was a dork. But I was desperate. I had just moved down from Mill Valley and I didn't know anybody, and I thought, "Oh, boy, here's my chance to meet somebody." (After) the third date, I went home and told my mother I was going to marry him. I just knew he was the one.
What do you remember most about your wedding day?
Dona: We got married two months after my 17th birthday.
Bobbie: I think it was something that was supposed to happen.
Dora: He had $10 in his pocket when we got married. And a Model A Ford. That's all we had.
Bobbie: A '31 Model A.
Dona: We were happy and in love. We didn't have very much, but we didn't much care. We were married at my aunt's house by a Foursquare Gospel minister. My parents weren't even there. Just my grandmother and my aunts, and his family. We (couldn't) afford to have a portrait taken.
What do you remember most about being newlyweds?
Dona: I had a semester of school to finish. I wasn't going to go back, but he said, "You need to get your diploma." In those days, nobody went to high school married. This one fellow, every morning, would stand at the very end of the hall and would say, "Mrs. Robinson!" Just so everybody could see me coming and know that I was married. Having to live in his mother's house (and) not having the privacy that I wanted, that was the hardest part for me. Not being able to be independent.
Bobbie: I worked for Harvey Machine Co. They manufactured aluminum extrusions.
Dona: And he had an 11-year-old sister and a grandmother. So it was an interesting situation. In 1949 we moved to Portland. We had a falling out with his family. Best thing we ever did was move up here.
Dona and Bobbie Robinson on their first anniversary, one of many the couple have celebrated.
What do you enjoy doing together?
Dona: We love the water. We had a boat for years and we all learned how to water ski. We went camping every year until 1996 (when) I was paralyzed from the neck down. That kind of took the water skiing out for me. I have osteoarthritis and didn't know it. It had eaten at my cartilage and my spinal cord was dying. If (the doctors) hadn't gotten to me when they did, I would be in a wheelchair. I'm very fortunate. I don't walk that well, but at least I can walk. We work in the temple every Wednesday, and we just live a mile from our church building. We believe in baptisms for the dead. (At church) we do marriages for the living and of course marriages for the dead. We seal families together in the temple, both living and dead. That's the paramount object of the temple.
Bobbie: We join families together. We feel that we're serving the Lord.
Was there ever a time you thought your relationship wouldn't last?
Dona: Divorce was never in our vocabulary. When we moved up here, his mother wrote him a letter. I don't even remember what the argument was about. It was between his dad and I. She said, "You didn't hear your dad's side of it, and we want you to come back, blah blah blah." I told (Bobbie), "If you go back to Long Beach, you're going back alone, because I'm not going with you." There was no question. From the day he met me, I've always come first.
Has your marriage always been a happy one?
Dona: Yes.
Bobbie: Happy and interesting.
Dona: Even with all I've been through, I knew I always had him standing by me. That was the most important thing. He took care of me. I never cooked for eight years, the pain was so bad. (Now) I have a pain pump in my abdomen, and that gave me back my life.
Bobbie: Nobody makes spaghetti sauce like I do.
Dona: None of the kids will eat any spaghetti unless their dad makes it!
Bobbie: I have one claim to fame: When John Glenn went into orbit, I helped build the rocket engines that put him up there.
What's your secret to a long and happy marriage?
Bobbie: You have to respect the person. Because you're both different.
Dona: And you have to put up with the idiosyncrasies of the other person.
Bobbie: If you're sleeping in the same bed, you'd better get along.
Dona: Oh, well, we get mad at each other.
Bobbie: She's always right. (laughs)
Dona: To me, the mark of a really good marriage: No matter how angry you get, it's not important. He has a hard time telling me that he loves me. I have to remind him. (Bobbie laughs) But you like to hear it every once in a while! He always opens the door for me. Always walks on the outside of the street. And he used to take my grandmother with us on a date. What 19-year-old would take their girlfriend's grandmother on a date? We'd go to the movies, the three of us together.
Bobbie: (She) doesn't back down. Very strong-willed lady. We've had our ups and downs, haven't we?
Dona: Yeah.
Bobbie: But we're still here.
What advice would you give to newlyweds today?
Dona: Tell each other you love them, and do it often. Let them know that you appreciate what they do for you.
Bobbie: Do it together.
Dona: He's a tough old bird, I'll tell you. When you can last 65 years, you've gotta be tough! (laughs) You have to treasure every moment every day. He's always been very affectionate. And that's something that I've always appreciated. Makes the world go 'round, makes it a happier place. Even if you don't like what the other person wants to do, go along with it -- as long as they go along with some of the things you want to do that they don't want to do. Go with the flow.
Bobbie: You don't know how long you're going to be together. Life's too short.
Dona: Whatever you do and whatever you choose, just be happy.
Bobbie: She's had a lot of health problems. I've had some health problems. (But) we're doing pretty good. We're fortunate to be together and to enjoy time together. We're still have our own opinions of things, though!
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