Sometimes, during life's darkest hours, something wonderful happens to make life worth living again. That miracle occurred for Jim and Lynn Robards. While living in, Florida twenty years ago, Jim and Lynn had just gone through the heartbreak of losing their mates to cancer, leaving them both with two grown-up children. To help them cope with their losses and adjust to the tragedies that had befallen them, they attended a Hospice Rebounders program. Hospice kept track of the spouses that they had worked with and had various planned social events where they could get together It was at one of those dinners that they met each other. They were sitting opposite each other at the meal and Jim could not help but notice lovely Lynn. However, it was six months later that the attraction began to blossom. They both were part of a group that traveled to Italy, and it was while they were in a gondola on one of the famed canals that Jim proposed to Lynn and she accepted. Jim and Lynn were born in very different parts of the country. Jim was born in the Midwest in Springfield, Missouri. He was part of a large family that included his parents, his siblings, grand-parents; and plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins; plus many friends. He enjoyed the beauty of the nearby Ozark Mountain Range and the special friendliness of the people in that wide open country. After graduating from Southwest Missouri State University, he joined the air force as a Second Lieutenant, being stationed in,England as well as in France. "I was never one of the so-called "fly boys", as I was part of administration," Robards explained. Robards spent 5-1/2 years in the air force, While stationed in France, he developed a long standing friendship with a Frenchman, Albert Bodier; a friendship which remains over the years. Jim and Lynn enjoyed their last reunion with Albert when they vacationed together in Cannes, France in 2004. "Over the years, Albert had lost a lot of his English speaking ability, and I was no longer proficient in French. So, a round-about interpretation went on as Albert spoke to Lynn in German, which she translated for me into English; and I communicated with him through Lynn. However, it all worked out and we had a wonderful time," Robards recalled. Another amusing event occurred at a dinner where we prepared luscious corn on the cob for Bodier and his family This was a new experience for the Frenchman, as field corn is served only to the pigs in France, However, Bodier tasted the steamed "human food" cobs of corn and found them delicious! After leaving the Air Force in 1968, Robards,,his wife, daughter and son settled in St.. Louis, Mo., to be near his family and the Ozarks of his boyhood. However, the big city atmosphere did not appeal to him, so he returned to the university to study Environmental Protection. This was a growing field at that time and he hoped to land a position with the Environmental Protection Agency, or secure employment in local or state government doing that type of work. Robard's first position in the environmental field was as superintendent of the potable water system for the city of Bristol, Tennessee, his first introduction to the Appalachian Mountains. His natural instincts had properly led him to an occupation which would become of paramount importance with the increasing problem of global warming and the shortage of potable drinking water throughout the world. So, Jim became one of the pioneers in this important field. While employed in Briatol,he was perusing a trade magazine dedicated to his field of work when he came across an ad for a job in Florida that looked interesting to him. He applied and accepted the position of setting up the potable water system in Orange County in the aftermath of the opening of Disney World in Orlando. People said that it couldn't be done and the project would never fly, but Jim was instrumental in the purchasing of myriad private holdings and the successful development of the first master plan for the Orange County Potable Water System. Jim and his family moved to Winter Park, where he held various positions with The Orlando Utilities Commission and retired from that city as Manager of Utilities. While working in that capacity, he wore many hats, including that of Assistant City Manager. Lynn, on the other hand, was an only chil,d, born in the Bronx, New York. "I was a first generation American. My mother and father met on shipboard coming to America from Germany. This romance ended all too soon, as my father died at a very young age. He was a plumber and developed lead poisoning; first losing his foot, then his leg, and finally his life. I lived with my mother in a poor neighborhood, but had a happy childhood because it never occurred to me that we were poor," Lynn recalled. 'We lived in a society of German and Italian families, with street vendors and al; and it was an exciting life. I learned to speak German at home, and English on the streets, which makes it difficult to detect any type of accent in either language when I speak," Lynn recalled. Lynn attended high school in Manhattan and then went on to Brooklyn College. She then married George and moved to Wantagh, Long Island with her husband and her two sons. On their last trip to Europe, the Robards visited East Germany where Lynn met the relatives on her mother's side for the first time. These were relatives who had lived in the Eastern Zone of Germany all through the war and beyond. "My husband George sold meat and produce and other supplies to his many customers and I grew up in that atmosphere. So, when we moved to Winter Park, Florida in 1979, (my mother was living in Daytona Beach at the time and later moved in with us in 1983,) George continued to carry on that type of work. selling banquet items to hotels country clubs and restaurants in the Orlando area When her husband developed cancer, she took over the sales end of the business and enjoyed several successful years in that field before retiring. While living in Winter Park, Jim became involved in Rotary through the encouragement of a close friend and neighbor. Over the years, the Robards opened their home to Rotarian guests from many countries: including Africa. South America, India, Australia, Europe, South Africa and Central America. Jim and Lynn are now both Rotarians and are active with the Pisgah Forest Rotary Club. Jim has been a Rotarian for 27 years and is President Elect ,to be inducted into that office at the end of June of this year. To celebrate Jim's retirement, Lynn put together "The Trip of a Lifetime", with the help of Rotarian friends in many countries. Their original destination was Stuttgart, Germany. However, they started the trip in Johannesburg, South Africa, spent a few days in Kruger Wild Animal Park, with trips to Port Elizabeth, The Garden Route, and Capetown; all arranged by Rotarian friends. It seemed perfectly natural to them to go to Germany via South Africa! Since that time they have taken trips to Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand and Alaska, as well as many other trips within the United States. In 1997 the Robards bought a summer house in Ellijay, Georgia and found that the mountains were where they really wanted to be. The heat in that area bothered them, so they kept looking for a place in Western North Carolina. "The minute we drove through the gates of Connestee Falls in September of 2001, we knew that we had found our "little piece of heaven!" said Lynn. Here they have been involved in many activities, both in Brevard and on their mountain.They are involved with Community Theatre and are both active in CATS (Connestee Amateur Theatre Society) and BLT (Brevard Little Theatre), as stage managers, lighting and sound technicians, on play reading committees, and they even had a few "on stage" appearances. Recently, Lynn was asked to be Team Captain for the Relay For Life Celebration this May As an old time, as well as a recent survivor of cancer, she willingly accepted that challenge for the Pisgah Forest Rotary Club. Jim is a member of the Transylvania County Appearance Initiative and enjoys "do it yourself" projects, from complete house remodeling to restoring antique clocks and furniture. Lynn's son is a Geo-Chemist/Oceanographer and works for the U..S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. He and his physician wife live in El Granada on the coast. Lynn's younger son died in 2003, leaving behind a wonderful wife and a delightful 15 year old son. They live In Boynton Beach, Florida. Jim's daughter, Nancy, is a published author with seven books of women's literature to her credit. She and her husband and their 14 year old daughter live in Orlando, Florida. Jim's son, Jay, lives in Springfield Missouri and works in real estate, as wel as in social work. Altogether, the Robards have successfully built a very happy second marriage, after suffering the tragedies of their spouses succumbing to cancer. Lorraine Miller
