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Roslyn Marchbanks Robinson, 78, of Alexandria Va passed away on September 1, 2019.

Roslyn was born in Little Rock , Arkansas to Dr. Vance Hunter Marchbanks Jr and Lois Gilkey Marchbanks on February 21, 1941. As a part of a military family, she grew up traveling the world. She earned an undergraduate degree for the University of Maine and her masters from Howard University. She worked as a homemaker, teacher, and finally as a mediator with the Department of Agriculture. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, tennis, gardening, and reminiscing with her family. Her most cherished accomplishments were her children and volunteer work with The Tuskegee Airmen, The Arlington Ladies, The Smithsonian, and a local hotline for abused women. She showed her strength, generosity, and love of family in all she did.

My mother was a bright, articulate, artistic, generous woman and the hardest part of this horrible disease is the way it robs a person of themselves. It started with a few subtle changes, my mother would struggle to think of the name of a common household item or couldn't recall that we had spoken earlier in the day. I think we all knew what was happening, after all her father had also struggled with the disease, but no one really wanted to acknowledge it officially. It was several years before my mother was officially diagnosed. It was then that the real challenges began.

Year after year for over 10 years, we watched as she slowly lost everything of herself. One of her favorite things to do was to walk. She would walk all the time, regardless of weather, simply enjoying the beauty of nature. For me the most difficult day was when this disease took away her ability to walk - physically healthy enough, but her mind simply couldn't navigate the steps. While my mother eventually lost the ability to speak and interact significantly, she still seemed to know who "her people" were. Her face would light up for visitors and even in the end people warmed to her.

That is how I choose to remember her, with a quiet strength, a generous heart, and an infectious smile.

Ever the educator, my mother's wish was to donate her body for medical research; that was ultimately not an option. However, I think, if she personally couldn't further research, helping others find a cure would be the next best thing.

Please help our family in this quest to fund research for dementia and Alzheimer's, which impacts so many families today.