ROBINETTE, Donna Joan Matilda, age 83, of Southgate, September 24, 2015. Beloved wife of late Richard Robinette. Loving mother of Linda Mullins, Deborah (Michael) Terry, Richard Robinette, Terry (Suzanne) Robinette, and David (Tina) Robinette. Dearest grandmother of 14, Jerry, Steven, Christopher, Matthew, Rebecca, Michelle, Johnathon, Jennifer, Michelle, Ryan, Beth, Lisa, Ashley, and Cody, great-grandmother of 28. She is also survived by her brother Daniel Pattenude, and sisters Darlene Carone and Delores Haener. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard, sisters Deborah and Diane, and brother Donald. Donna Joan Matilda Pattenaude was the first born of Louie and Constance Pattenaude. Mom was not fortunate enough to be born in the sterile confines of a hospital suite, but rather on the kitchen table of her parents’ home on August 28, 1932. Mom grew up as a loving big sister and caregiver to her grandmother Antilly. Later came 6 other siblings including a set of twins. Mom being the eldest was assigned the many tasks of mentoring and caring for the younger children. Mom always loved babies. Mom’s family was from downriver and she lived on Leroy Street in River Rouge until she was 22 and met a dashing young Military man namely my father Richard Robinette. They began dating and few months later fell in love and soon married. Mom and dad went on to have 5 children together, Linda, Deborah, Richard, Terry and David. Life dealt mom a tough deck of cards and our early years were hard on the family. Dad worked at Whitehead and Kales in River Rouge and mom was a caring and loving homemaker. There were many days’ months and years that mom sacrificed herself to make sure we had what we needed. Holidays, birthdays and summer family vacations up north are just a part of our memory. Mom was fun loving as you can tell by her pictures here today she had a beautiful smile. Mom always wanted our humble home to be clean and orderly and taught us at an early age how to clean iron and wash clothes. I distinctly remember the Pepsi bottle with water and the cork in it at the end of the ironing board. I was taught to lay out my dad’s handkerchiefs and to dampen them, then to roll them up and place them in the plastic bag for easier ironing. This system was used as we had a wringer washer and of course the dryer was a clothes line in the back yard and a line in the basement during the winter. Our weekends were spent with my father’s family. Sunday afternoons at Grandma Clara’s and with Uncle’s Don, Jimmy, Paul and our Aunts Eileen, Barbara and Rita. Friday and Saturday we were either at Municipal field, Great Lakes or Pulaski Parks as my father was an awesome baseball player. We would finish the night with our favorite place to eat White Castles or Frankie’s Pizzeria in Ecorse and of course a glass of Dad’s Root Beer. Mom enjoyed life’s simple pleasures like a fresh cup of Maxwell House coffee made on the stove in the silver pot and the smell of fresh cut grass. As kids we would we often pick fresh flowers and bring her a handful of dandelions and she loved them. To this day a small bunch of flowers just made her light up! Mom’s church family was just that family and she loved them. Surprisingly, mom became the church janitor in her sixties at Faith Christian and her pastor Patrick Bossio always told her this was the cleanest and shiniest the church sanctuary had ever been. These last few years she devoted much of her time and energy entertaining and fellow shipping with her neighbor Pat Garret and listening to her favorite TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggert. I know for sure that today she is resting in the arms of Jesus safe and secure. I can see her sitting in a field of flowers, drinking a cup of Maxwell house coffee and talking with her mom, dad brother and sisters. We miss you Mom and we will see you soon!
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