John Hudson Robinson Jr.

John Hudson Robinson Jr., 90, recently of Vero Beach, Florida, passed away on March 14, 2021.    

John was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and raised in Charleston, West Virginia where he attended Virginia Episcopal School.  Through his 20’s, John travelled extensively throughout Western and Eastern Europe, from Spain to Soviet Bloc Yugoslavia, as well as the Middle East.  

In 1958 he found himself in Key West, Florida, where he met and married Solita Avila. For the next 40 years he called Key West his home, raising two daughters, Nikki and Caroline. An adventurer his entire life, he worked on an oil rig in the Gulf, was the first hired driver of the Key West Conch Train, flew a DC 3 for the Mosquito Control, was the Director of Civil Defense in Monroe County and was elected to the Utility Board for City Electric from 1987-1997.  He also owned and managed several properties in town and could always be seen tooling around in his red Toyota pickup truck honking and waving to everyone.  

In the late 1990’s John retired to Highlands, North Carolina and just recently moved back to Florida to be closer to family.  John was a gregarious storyteller who never met a stranger.  Many a Key West tourist found themselves unexpectedly at John’s home enjoying Cuba Libres and a home cooked meal.  John Robinson loved good rum, the Cuban people and local gossip.  

John is survived by his brother W. H. “Bob” Robinson (Jan) of Charlotte, North Carolina. His daughters: Nikki Robinson Morgan (David) and Caroline Robinson Bleske (Bernie). He was a proud grandfather to Jake Morgan, Matt Morgan, Em Bleske and Nick Bleske.  

There will be a celebration of life in Key West on Saturday, May 22 at 5 pm. Please contact the family at carolinebleske@yahoo.com for more information.