1. Latham Augustus Robinson
April 18, 1923 - December 4, 2015
We Thank You
Your prayers and kind words have bolstered our spirits, your faith
has given us strength to endure our sorrow and your many thoughtful
deeds have given us great comfort. We thank you and we love you.
The Family of Latham Robinson
Pallbearers
Latham L. Robinson Robert Haire III Shawn Robinson
Dennis Caine Brandon Robinson Rashid O. Ward
Honorary Pallbearers
Daryl Vaughn Robert L. Haire Marcel Vaughn Cameron Robinson
Interment
St. Peter’s Cemetery
2101 Lucas and Hunt Road
St. Louis, MO 63121
Services by Granberry Mortuary
Repast
Immediately following services at the church.
Isaiah 43:2: When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walk-
est through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee.
I’ll Be Seeing You
Bing Crosby
I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces, all day through
In that small cafe, the park across the way
The children’s carousel, the chestnut trees, the wishing well
I’ll be seeing you in every lovely summer’s day
In everything that’s light and gay,
I’ll always think of you that way
I’ll find you in the mornin’ sun and when the night is new
I’ll be looking at the moon but I’ll be seeing you.
Words and design by AfterWords
www.LifeAfterWords.com
Celebration of Life
Latham Augustus Robinson
Monday, December 14, 2015, 11 a.m.
Peoples Community Christian Church
9501 Weyburn Drive
St. Louis, MO 63136
Pastor Bennie B. Ford, Officiant
Order of Service
Musical Prelude and Processional
Prayer, Minister Kevin L. Days
Scripture Reading, Minister Eddie Henderson
Old Testament: Psalms 61:1-5
New Testament: 2 Timothy 4:7-8 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Song of Praise
Acknowledgments and Condolences
Life Story
(Read silently during playing of
“I’ll Be Seeing You” by Bing Crosby)
Song of Praise
Tribute to Grandpa, Grandchildren
Robert Haire III, Mildred Christine Haire, Alice Ward,
Shaunda Robinson, Alethea Caine and Angela Jackson
Song of Praise
Eulogy, Pastor Ford
Benediction
Recessional
I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7

2. Latham Augustus Robinson was an original mem-
ber of Peoples Community Christian Church; his
uncle, the Rev. Daniel D. Maiten, was the found-
ing pastor and the person who gave him the Bible
verse he held in his heart until his passing: Isaiah
43:2. With an outstanding tenor voice, he quickly
joined the choir, but the diction of some of the
choir members caused him to soon depart. “Who,”
he asked, “ever heard of the River Jerdin?”
He left the choir, but he had only just begun to sing. He
joined the Earls of Harmony and emulated the crooners: Perry Como,
Dean Martin and his favorite, Bing Crosby. The group sang mostly
gospel but they threw in a bit of doo wop just like Gene Chandler, the
“Duke of Earl,” from whom they took part of their name.
As he prepared for immortality, Latham found solace in the “Three Ten-
ors” (Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti), Bing singing
“I’ll Be Seeing You” and a male chorus performing his signature song:
“Down by the Riverside.”
A Man of Many Talents
Latham was born and raised in Bonne Terre, Mo., the
oldest of Latham T. Robinson and Leslie Robinson’s
five children. Like most blacks in predominantly
white Bonne Terre, he grew up on Fulton Street,
which was commonly called the “N-word” Hill
by whites. Members of his family now own much
of that street where African-American families
still live.
He graduated from “colored” Douglas High
School in Festus, nearly 30 miles from Bonne
Terre, where he excelled. It’s where he developed
his love of language and once won a national
writing contest. He never got his award. He often
recounted how he met the two
gentlemen at the train station who
were in Bonne Terre to deliver his award.
When they saw that he was “colored,” they said he
wasn’t eligible and promptly boarded the next train
back to New York.
A $250 Art Institute drawing award also failed
to materialize. “They stole my money,” Latham
lamented with great humor for the duration of his
life.
“He lived through those challenging
times,” said his grandson, Robert Haire III,”
but he wasn’t jaded or bitter.”
After graduating from high school, Latham began
commuting to St. Louis to work. He married Mildred
Williams in 1949 and the family moved to St. Louis
in 1958. Mildred died in 1963.
He worked in shipping and receiving at West
Virginia Pulp and Paper Company in St. Louis
for many years. He later joined McDonnell
Douglas Aircraft and worked 18 years as a
maintenance mechanic before retiring in 1991,
the same year he married Rose Cannon.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and Awe
In his spare time and in retirement, Latham kept
up the things he’d loved all of his life: singing,
drawing animals and portraits and cooking. He
could bake a pie; he specialized in apple and
lemon. He wasn’t averse to picking up the occasional box of Popeye’s
chicken and red beans and rice, accompanied by a Mountain Dew, but
when he wanted the real thing he made it himself: Latham Robinson’s
fried chicken.
And he continued to write. He wrote many short stories because “you
never know where it would take you.” When he wasn’t writing, he
indulged his poetic side by reading freestyle verse.
But his talents were not the legacy he hoped to leave. He said he wanted
to be remembered for his respect for others.
“He always treated people the way
he wanted to be treated,” his grand-
son said. “We remember him as a
man of great strength who faced a
lot of adversity but kept going.”
Humor sustained him. He’d often
laughingly recall how his Aunt
Margaret Maul Johnson, the second
First Lady of Peoples Community Christian Church, would hang him
on the clothesline when he didn’t get her store orders right.
Latham marveled at the things he thought he’d never see even in 92
years of living, chief among them color television – he had TVs stacked
on top of TVs and watched “The Young and the Restless” and Cardinal
baseball simultaneously – and the first black president, Barack Obama.
He had hopes of seeing the first woman
president, having declared his intention
to vote for Hillary Clinton.
A Talk with God
Latham faced eternity as he did all things:
with equanimity and courage. During his
recent visit to The Cedars for rehabilita-
tion following a stroke, he said, “This is
going to take me out, but I’ve been talking
to God.”
In addition to his first wife and his par-
ents, Latham was also preceded in death
by two sons, Richard Robinson and Paul
Matthews; a daughter, Doris Bolden;
a brother, Stanley Robinson; three sisters, Dorcas (Roy) Jason, Virgie
(Lawrence) Carroll, Rose (Lawrence) Fulton, and two sons-in-law,
Fulton Madison and James Washington.
He will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Rose;
his children, Sandra Marie (Robert) Haire of Phoenix, Vicki Lynn
(Dennis) Caine of St. Louis, Latham L. (Arvella) Robinson of St. Charles,
Shirley Washington of St. Louis, Marvin Matthews of Jefferson City,
Rachel Madison of Fort Lauderdale, and his stepson, Charles A.
(Yolanda) Shores, of Houston; a son-in-law, Tommie Bolden, and a
daughter-in-law, Gloria Matthews, both of St. Louis, and a brother-in-
law, Charles (Christine) Casey, of Festus.
He will also be mourned by 26 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren
and 20 great-great-grandchildren.