Wayne Anton Robertson

Robertson, Wayne A
October 14, 1925 to July 11, 2017
(Written by Wayne Robertson, August 16, 2004)

Wayne was born in Olympia, Wa to Arthur Isaac Robertson and Mabel Louise Robertson on October 14, 1925. At the death of his father, when he was three years old, his mother and he moved to Puyallup, Wa where they lived with his grandparents, Anton and Louise Eskelund until October 1943 when Wayne joined the US Navy at age 17. He later served on the Motor Torpedo Boats, better known as PTs, from the Solomon Islands to the Philippines and received an Honorable Discharge as a Motor Machinist 2nd Class shortly after the close of World War II.

Growing up, Wayne worked picking raspberries to earn money for school clothes and supplies, later had a paper route that covered 20 miles, mostly uphill, and then in high school worked at the Bon fruit and vegetable market. After graduation, Wayne worked at the shipyard before enlisting in the Navy. After the war, he worked at a plywood plant before going to college for a short time and then on to a short appointment at Peoples Store selling furniture. Then came a job as Manager of a Variety Store, Pohlmans, in Longview, Wa.

After a short time at Seattle College, Wayne fell in love with a lovely young lady from a neighboring town of Sumner, Jeanne Burton, who had written to him all during his Navy time. Jeanne’s parents, Ralph and Margie Burton, owned Burtons 10 Cent Store in Sumner. So it can truly be said that Wayne met his Million Dollar Baby at the 5 & 10 Cent Store. They were married May 10, 1947 in Puyallup, Wa at the Methodist Parsonage with close friends and family in attendance.

June of 1948 found Wayne and Jeanne with their now three-month old twin baby girls, Wendy and Nancy, on the way to Sacramento for a new job with the S.H. Kress Variety store. However, fate intervened and Wayne was called back to serve in the Navy once again. This time, in the Korean War and on the APA37 and later on LST525 for a trip to Japan. Wayne liked to remember that after three days and two nights, the LST had only gone 87 miles; he wondered if they would ever reach Hawaii let alone Japan. After eleven months, Wayne received a second Honorable Discharge and returned to San Diego, Ca which would become their new home.

After working for what was then Western Auto in North Park, Wayne applied for and was accepted at the San Diego Unified School District as an Assistant Buyer. Edwin S. Thompson was the long-time Purchasing Agent at that time and soon recommended Wayne to the Sweetwater Union High School District to be their Purchasing Agent. Eunice Harris was the Business Manager and Mr. McDonald, a courtly white-haired gentleman, the Superintendent. Wayne was offered the position and gladly accepted. He served Sweetwater and a new Superintendent, Mr. Joseph Rindone, for 24 years.

During this time, Wayne and Jeanne moved into a new house on Hilltop Drive in 1955, and later in 1956 were blessed with another child, a little girl named Rebecca Anne or Becky as she is still called. The family grew up in the little house and all went to the local schools until the twins, Wendy and Nancy, left for San Jose and college, and then in 1973 Becky left home to marry and begin her family. In the meantime Jeanne and Wayne remained in the little house on Hilltop Drive in what has now been a wonderful fifty-seven year love story.

Wayne left the Sweetwater Union HIgh School District in 1975 to accept the position of Purchasing Manager for the San Diego Community College District where he served for eight years until his retirement in 1983.

Wayne is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Jeanne (Burton) Robertson; three daughters: Wendy Robertson, Los Altos, Ca; Nancy Robertson, San Jose, Ca; Becky Robertson, Redlands, Ca; and grandson, Alan Erickson, San Diego, Ca.


Note from Wendy Robertson
Any inadvertent errors introduced during the process of preparing this document from Dad’s handwritten write-up are mine. I’ve added the following updates:

Wayne and Jeanne sold their Hilltop Drive house in 2012 and moved into a cottage at Frederika Manor in Chula Vista, CA in October, 2012. Wayne and Jeanne celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary on May 10, 2017. Daughters, Nancy and Wendy, now live in Prescott, AZ. Great granddaughter, Emberlyn, was born to Alan and Ezaree on November 17, 2015. Daughter, Becky, preceded Wayne in death by three months.