Mary Kathryn Robbins, age 86, peacefully passed into the arms of her Lord and Savior Saturday evening, November 19, 2022. Born in Springfield, Ohio, to David Rodeheffer and Kathryn Rodeheffer Ham, Mary was one of five siblings raised in the Detroit, Michigan, area.

Mary is survived by Paul, her husband for 63 years, her two sons, Daniel (Kitty) and David (Kelley) and four grandchildren, Jeanne, Alex, Aidan, and Anne. She is also survived by her sister Marta and her brother Dan (Jo). She is preceded in death by her older brother Ben and her younger sister Janie.

Mary was in the first graduating class of Southfield High School, Southfield, Michigan. She met Paul at the former Fort Wayne Bible College where she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Missionary Nursing jointly offered by FWBC and the Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital. Their meeting occurred as a result of being seated alphabetically (Robbins/Rodeheffer) in two of their classes. Paul has always claimed that he never would have made it through his freshman year without her class notes.

Mary received her RN in 1958 and joined the Lutheran Hospital staff as a pediatric nurse. When she, Paul, and their two sons moved to Illinois in 1966, she continued her nursing career at the Glen Ellyn Clinic and retired from clinical nursing at DuPage Internal Medicine. A devout Christian believer, Mary loved nursing and being a nurse. It was her calling; it was her ministry. And she was deeply loved and appreciated by her medical colleagues and patients. Paul remembers that grocery shopping was always a combination of buying groceries and meeting grateful patients who recognized Nurse Mary in the store aisles.

Being married to an ordained minister, Mary purposed to become a "biblical helpmate." Over a period of 60 years, she assisted Paul's ministry in Youth for Christ, Wheaton Bible Church, Christianity Today Publishing, Evangelical Christian Publishing Association, International Students, Greater Europe Mission, Taylor University, and the Missionary Church denomination. Together, they accumulated a lot of miles in both domestic and international travel.

Mary has been described by those who knew her as "a beautiful light of faithfulness; one of the kindest women to ever come into our lives; always the gracious heart; a beautiful, quiet soul who chose a caretaker's role; she was not a 'rah! rah!' kind of person, but one of contemplative nature with an encouraging smile."

The third stanza of her favorite Christmas carol, Away in a Manger, speaks her dearest wish:
Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And take us to Heaven, to live with Thee there.

In lieu of flowers or memorial gifts, Mary's desire was that her family and friends would continue the mission she purposed for herself. With an encouraging smile, she would want others to reach out with love, care, and help to those who are hurting. Such would be her most magnificent legacy.

On Saturday, December 17, 2022, Mary's family will be gathering at the Hultgren Funeral Home (Wheaton, Illinois) for a private celebration of her life and legacy.

She will be interned at the Glen Oak Cemetery in West Chicago, Illinois, just one mile from the home she loved and lived in for 50 years.

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgren.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.