Gary Douglas Robinson peacefully went home to the arms of the Lord on October 12, 2026. The third of four children and the middle son, Gary was born in Binghamton, N.Y., on July 16, 1949, to Jeanne E. Whitney, a nurse, and Douglas M. Robinson, an Air Force pilot. Shortly after Gary was born, the family moved to the Azores, Portugal, then eventually to Amarillo, Texas, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Travis AFB, and Carbondale, Illinois, where he attended Southern Illinois University.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, he moved to Humboldt County with the goal of being an art professor at Humboldt State University. When that plan didn’t work out, he began working at the Orick Mill in the early 1970s, starting a 45+ year career in the construction/carpentry industry. He later worked for Grace Construction and spent much of his career at Louisiana Pacific’s Samoa pulp mill before working at PG&E on the decommissioning of the nuclear plant, then retiring.

In 1985, he married Vali Christensen, and the two welcomed their daughter Whitney in 1987. Although Gary and Vali did not remain married, they coparented Whitney and raised her lovingly, working hard to give her a happy, fun and loving childhood.

Gary later fell in love and married Marlena Hissong in 2004. The two blended their families, and Gary gained two stepsons, Joshua and Burton, whom he viewed as his own. Marlena became a loving stepmom to Whitney. In addition to being a loving wife to Gary for over 22 years, Marlena took pride in caring for him after his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease in 2013. She became his rock and was his calming presence. We are all so grateful to her for her love and dedication to him.

Gary was a natural artist with immense talent, able to create anything with just about any medium. He’s drawn numerous pictures with charcoal and pencil, baked and decorated various birthday cakes for Whitney, built beautiful furniture and other items out of wood, made and painted yard cutouts of The Simpsons for Christmas, built the family home, fully restored a 1963 Thunderbird, and built four custom motorcycles. Three of his motorcycles were featured in motorcycle magazines such as Easy Rider, Hot Bike, and Barnett’s. Gary participated in many car shows with his third bike, aptly named “Orange Crush,” with his daughter Whitney, and he later enjoyed taking rides on sunny days and road trips with his wife Marlena.

Gary had an eclectic sense of style and never shied away from standing out. From the bell bottoms and mutton chops in the 1960s and 1970s, to the pastel colors and loafers (à la Miami Vice) in the 1980s and 1990s, and the biker boots and Harley shirts in the 2000s, he always took pride in being a sharp-dressed man.

Gary was preceded in death by his grandparents; mother, Jeanne; father, Douglas; sister Nancy; and brother Lee.

Gary was survived by his wife, Marlena; daughter, Whitney (Shawn) Pulver; brother, Kim (Cindy) Robinson; stepsons Burton (Kendra) Hissong and Joshua (Charissa) Hissong; grandsons, Larson Pulver and Luca Hissong; granddaughter, Juniper “Juju” Hissong; niece, Amy (Mike) Stepp; nephew, Brent (Shawna) Robinson; and many wonderful friends and neighbors who he loved dearly.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 1 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka, and all who knew him are welcome!

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Gary Robinson’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.