In loving memory of
Robin Thomas Pope

• Passed away on July 11, 2021

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Robin Thomas Pope, 74, passed away on Sunday, July 11, 2021. An only
child born on September 23, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. He is
preceded in death by his parents Edgar (1965) & Virginia Aldenhoff Pope
(1975), and his bonus parents Lloyd (2010) & Trudy Turnbull (2002) of
North Ft. Myers.
Robin lived an eventful life in Ft. Myers playing baseball, basketball &
the trumpet in the marching band. He is a graduate of Ft. Myers High
School, Class of 1964, Go Green Wave! He attended and graduated from
Florida State University (Tallahassee) with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Mathematics 1969 & then Master’s degree in Instructional Design 1973.
It was during that time at FSU he met and later married his wife and
fellow alumnae, Danetta Blackwelder of Apopka, in August 1973. He
loved her so much that he married her again in 2003!
The couple remained in the Tallahassee area, where Robin worked as
an Applications Programmer and then a Systems Programmer for the
Department of Labor before going into Software Development as VP of
Educations Performance Systems, Inc. in 1980. It was during this time
their little family of 2 grew to a family of 6. He was die-hard FSU, bled
garnet & gold, he was very active in his church affiliation with The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and he spent many hours
playing in basketball & softball leagues, enjoying the sport which fed his
competitive nature and forging friendships that would span time &
distance alike. He also devoted much of his time to church callings he
held which took him to areas across the state. In 1983 they would leave
the Capital City area as Robin took a job with a consulting firm
Computer Task Group, which moved their now party of 7 soon to be 8 &
eventually 9, to Brandon, FL. It was Brandon that would remain his
home base for continued and ongoing adventures.
Robin wore many hats over the years & wore them well. He was involved
in whatever his kids or grand-kids had going on, distance was always an easy
obstacle to overcome for him, he would just hit the road.
In 1994 he transferred to IBM as a Software Engineer and managed the
WebSphere Data Interchange Development Team. It was there where he
would finish his computing days, eventually retiring in June 2013.
He would claim his family as his greatest accomplishment. He loved
hosting & attending family dinners, gatherings, family sporting events,
music and other social presentations. He attended every possible
activity for family, immediate & extended members alike which are as
numerous as the stars. He was smart, a born problem solver, had a
quick wit & a kind heart. He always had a quick joke/ jab ready about the
Gators and Hurricanes, or your athletic prowess, or lack of height and
loved sharing his dinner table even though it was already full, there is
always room for a few more.
He was a giant among men, not just because of his height, but because of
who he was. He left a legacy of family, service, a love of FSU Seminoles &
the Beach Boys that will be carried on by those who remain in his stead.
He will be terribly missed by those he left behind, but through the gift of
eternal families we find comfort that we will see him again.
He is survived by his wife Danetta Blackwelder Pope, his 7 children
(Leigh Annand, Jeremy, Barry, Scott, Ginny Johnson, Ben & Jeff Pope),
their spouses, 28 grandchildren & 3 Great granddaughters.
Memorial services will be held on Friday, July 23, 2021 at the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints chapel located at 1412 John Moore Rd, Brandon,
FL at 3PM. Graveside service/Internment will be held on Saturday, July 24,
2021 at the Ft. Myers Cemetery in Ft. Myers, FL at 11:30AM.