Clyde Maurice Robbins, one of God’s kindest angels, left this earth peacefully on Saturday March 20, 2021, the first day of spring. He was born January 20, 1940 to Thomas LeBaron & Helen Webb Robbins in West Mountain, Utah. He was raised with his siblings in Payson until he was 12 years old, then they moved out to the farm in West Mountain where they had just built a house. He was very athletic and enjoyed most sports. He was on the baseball team in high school and played on several city recreation and church basketball teams throughout his middle age years. He enlisted in the Army Reserves in the spring of 1957 and told many stories of his experience traveling and training to protect our nation. He went to the University of Utah right out of high school, then transferred to BYU so he could take over his parent’s farm. He went back to Weber State University in 1985 to complete their electronics program, and then transferred to UTC (now UVU) to finish his electrical engineering degree. He also worked for the Strawberry Highline Canal Co. for many years.
He met the love of his life, Diane Francom, in 1965 at a family home evening at a neighbor’s house and they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti Temple on May 28, 1971. They had 7 wonderful children and enjoyed the farm life, raising kids and watching their corn pop up in rows. His two most favorite things in life were his family and working hard. He started a tree farm about 20 years ago, and he had finally found his dream crop! He said he had always wanted to cover his entire farm in trees, and for the most part he accomplished that dream. If you are driving just about anywhere in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, it’s likely you’ll encounter some of his trees that were grown on the farm. He also loved camping and fishing (it was the only way to get him off the farm!). His most frequented spots were Fish Lake and Boulder Mountain. He also loved to run. He would sign up for all kinds of races, most notably the Utah Olympic Senior Games. He placed every year at the Onion Days 5K run in his age bracket, and the last year he participated he was the oldest runner in the entire race. He was always challenging his wife and kids to be the best they could be, and loved watching them succeed. He was always so proud of his family! He enjoyed a very healthy life with only a few bumps along the way until about a year and a half ago when he seemed to slow down fast. It didn’t stop him from helping with the tree farm though! The last couple of years he suffered from congestive heart failure and was recently diagnosed with bone cancer which attributed to his quick decline. Through it all he kept getting on his John Deere tractor to fill holes where trees had been dug. He had a huge, but quiet testimony of God, Jesus Christ, and the gospel. He was always so grateful for his blessings and the life he was able to have.
He is survived by his wife and 7 children; Rachel (Matt) Hardy, Deborah (Dallan) Carter, Kathleen (Jerome) Black, David (Heather) Robbins, Sheila (Terry) Michaelis, Lorraine Hardy and Jennifer Shepherd. He is also survived by 5 siblings and 15 grandchildren, who were the glimmer in his eyes. He is preceded in death by his parents, a brother and a grandson. He was an amazing Husband, Father and Grandfather, and he will be sorely missed. This world will never be the same without him, but he has found peace from his failing body and comfort with loved ones on the other side whom he adores, and we are sure there are trees as far as the eye can see for him!
Funeral services will be held Saturday March 27, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. at the West Mountain Chapel, 5237 W 10400 S, Payson, UT. A viewing will be held prior from 9:30 – 10:45 A.M.
5 Condolences for Clyde Maurice Robbins
Condolences(5)
Kathryn Finch Ballard says
March 23, 2021 at 2:53 amWhat a beautiful obituary!! I have many happy memories of Clyde coming to our house to watch a game or help my dad with his farm. I agree that he was always kind and soft spoken. What a wonderful family he is leaving behind. Special love sent to you all, especially Diane.
Much love and prayers,
Kathryn
Kenneth Wilson says
March 24, 2021 at 6:54 pmI was sorry to hear of Clyde’s moving on to the next life. I read his obituary with tears and love. I recognize that he has done many wonderful things since I moved away, and I am sure that he is making things better where he is now.
I have long considered Clyde a hero for saving my life during the winter of 1959. We graduated from Payson High in the class of 1958 and attended the University of Utah together. He was a trusted friend. We regularly went to basketball games together. We both attended the great game when Utah defeated Ohio State in 1959. After Clyde finished his National Guard training, we moved into his trailer house parked in the Heath Cliff Motel and Trailer Court at 900 South State, Salt Lake City. This small camp trailer had two narrow single beds and a cooking area, but no bathroom facilities. We had to go to a central area of the trailer park to shower and use other facilities. Each morning we would get up around 6:30 and leave at 7:15 to get to class at 8:00. We went home on one weekend and came back late Sunday evening. The next morning the alarm made this horrible sound. It was wowing. After every sound I could hear a wow wow as my ears were ringing. The noise was painful. Clyde was also hearing this wowing. I could hardly move in bed. We had both thrown up and still felt very sick. We both struggled to remove the plastic seal from the windows next to our beds as we needed fresh air desperately. Then Clyde got up and tried to open the door but fell on the floor heater burning his arm. We couldn’t seem to get enough energy to move. Was this some nightmare? We were fighting for our very lives. I have never been as sick as I was at that time. It even hurt to talk and hurt more to listen. With superhuman effort we got ourselves cleaned up, dressed, and headed to the school health center. We arrived at the Health Center in much pain at 3:30 pm. We had taken a good eight hours to get to school. We met with a doctor and he said that we had food poisoning. We told him that we had not eaten the same food. We had our last meals in separate homes, but he refused to believe us. In my mind he was clueless. What was this mystery disease that had put us in such distress? I was not certain until I took human physiology the next winter. Dr. James R. King related a similar experience that he had when working in a ski lodge when he was a student. He was living in the lodge near the motors that drive the ski tows. He then detailed the symptoms of our mysterious disease, and it was carbon monoxide poisoning. The culprit was carbon monoxide while we were thinking carbon dioxide, but this was much more sinister. It is a miracle that we lived through this experience. As Dr. King explained, carbon monoxide binds with hemoglobin and reduces the ability of the blood to transport oxygen. Thus, our cells were severely starved for oxygen. These symptoms are identical to food poisoning. Significant to our survival was our continual communication and team work. Clyde would push me to do things, and I would in turn push him. The significant events were removing the plastic from the windows and opening the door, which Clyde was able to finally complete. We were saved from future illness by keeping the plastic sealing from the windows and removing some of the skirting around the trailer. There is no doubt that someone was looking out for us. I don’t think that saving the heat was worth our pain.
Cheryl Lee says
March 25, 2021 at 4:36 amDear friend, What a hole you must feel in your heart! May you know our thoughts and prayers are with you. He will always be remembered an “extra” Chorale membér–we will miss him.Be at peace, my friend. I ???? you.
Joan R Roholt says
July 24, 2021 at 11:43 pmSO SORRY, Diane; Children, and Grandchildren!!! Just found out, today, calling Richard, for his 80th Birthday. Richard’s gal friend, since March 1999 – Joan Roholt; son James – and wife, Nichole
Paul Steven Perry says
January 10, 2022 at 5:47 pmI only learned that Clyde has passed on this last year. I’ve met so many good men in life so far. Clyde for me was the most selfless man of all. One might say I could be wrong but I genuinely felt he gave more to the others in his life than any man in the world including prophets. He is also very humble. He however was very intelligent and capable of long hours of focus and thought. I think our Father in Heaven suffered while Clyde was on Earth. He and Diane would sometimes spar with each other in the kitchen on my visits. I met him in college at UTC in the electronics program. I loved him from the moment I met him. I often called him “Clive”. I thought it sounded better and he didn’t say much about me doing it wrong. Diane would repeat the story of meeting, courting and marrying him. He used to listen (the best listener ever) and give a little laugh as Diane retold their stories. When I first went to visit his home it was to study together but over time I just enjoyed going out there and I liked his daughters (and whole family) since I was single. After college I drifted off into time. Things got hard. Lots of disappointments. I often drove out to say hello and escape the way my life was going but over time he was either not home or busy doing something so I felt I should let him work. What a beautiful soul he is to me. Things finally turned around. I went out to the farm a couple years ago to introduce him to my wife and 2 girls. One of his daughters found him in the forest and then he came walking up around the side of a tree suddenly before me. His hands looked worse than I can possibly explain. No farmer ever had hands that torn up. I took one of his hands and looked at it and said something to the effect that he should wear gloves more often. He had a small laugh and a smile. I bet he thought I had the hands of a child in comparison. I gave him my phone number and hoped he would call me. He seemed a little down that day and once more because he was working so hard on a Saturday, I felt like I was disturbing his day so we left. I read that he liked his John Deere tractor. I love that. I have a John Deere also. I could’ve learned so much more from him than the books I studied.
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