Calling hours will be held at Czelusniak Funeral Home in Northampton from 4-6:00pm on Thursday, March 5. Services will be held at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley at 10:00am on Friday, March 6. A private burial will be held at a later date. A Celebration of Life will be held at Williston’s Reunion Weekend in June.
Cathleen Clara Robinson, age 84, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2026.
Cathleen was born on May 18, 1941 to Walter and Clara Robinson in Canton, Ohio. After graduating from Central Catholic High School, Cathleen joined the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in Villa Maria, PA. During her fourteen years with the convent, she earned her BA in English and Spanish from Notre Dame of Ohio and her Master’s in Spanish from Middlebury College. A lifelong learner, Cathleen continued her education over the years at Emory, BYU, and Gannon College.
She started her teaching career at Central Catholic and Magnificat High Schools in Ohio. In 1974, Cathleen joined the faculty at The Williston Northampton School, retiring in 2001.
At Williston, Cathleen met her future husband and fellow faculty member, Raymond L. Brown ’55. Together, they enjoyed 48 years of wedded bliss. Cathleen was the beloved stepmother to Karen Brown Golding ’81 (Brage) and Amy Brown ’84, and cherished Nana to Brage Raymond Golding and Isabel Cathleen Brassil.
At Williston, Cathleen taught Spanish, Journalism, Latin American History, and Philosophy and chaired the Language Department. She created the new teacher’s orientation, Arete tutoring, and Writers’ Workshop programs and led student trips to Spain, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Under her mentorship, the school newspaper, The Willistonian, earned national honors.
In recognition of Cathleen’s 27 years of extraordinary service to the school as a teacher, advisor, and friend, she was presented with Williston’s Award for Eminent Service by the Alumni/ae Association.
Cathleen and Ray traveled extensively, often merging her love for the Spanish language and exploring new cultures with Ray’s love of soccer. An accomplished writer, she authored the novel, My Beard is White Now, about life in Hadley, MA during World War II and the role of German POWs at local farms. Her stories and articles appeared in numerous publications and she enjoyed leading writing workshops and book clubs. Cathleen loved to sing and was a member of church choirs in Easthampton, Hadley, and North Fort Myers, FL, where Cathleen and Ray wintered for many years.
Cathleen was always challenging herself; doing an Outward Bound wilderness program in the NC mountains and riding her bike extensively throughout Western Massachusetts. She timed countless Williston girls’ basketball games, went on many shopping trips with Ann, Betsy and Karin, tended to her beautiful flower gardens, and cared for her mini dachshunds. A heartfelt thank you to Claire Frierson for always being a devoted friend to Cathleen.
A teacher, advisor, dorm parent, colleague, mentor, parishioner, neighbor, and friend, Cathleen was exceptionally proud of her enduring, cherished friendships with so many from all chapters of her life.
Cathleen is also survived by her siblings: David Robinson (Bonnie), Neal Robinson (Suzanne), Cindy Rivendell (Sherry), Chris Fantini (Joe), and Rick Robinson, along with many beloved nieces and nephews and extended family in TX, WI, and OH. Locally, she leaves her nieces and nephews Paul Brown III, Doug Brown (Robin), Susan Swirbalus (Bob), and Kristin Nyren (Jeff).
We are deeply grateful to Calista and Karla, whose loving care following Cathleen’s 2019 stroke allowed her to remain in her home with Ray.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cathleen C. Robinson Scholarship Fund at The Williston Northampton School, 19 Payson Avenue, Easthampton, MA 01027.
Professora! Oh how amazing you were! I never would have learned Spanish without you. What dedication to your craft. You thought me how to study and I took that with me my entire life. The world has lost a good one.
Your memory is certainly a blessing. ❤️
Ms. Robinson was my Spanish and Philosophy teacher around 1979-1980. I loved her classes. She was an attentive and genuinely caring teacher. She said something to me once in Philosophy class that has stuck with me my entire life. She said “Every age has its beauty.” I have come back to this phrase over and over throughout my life. These small words gave me perspective on growing older, evolving, changing and meeting life’s challenges. I never got to tell her how meaningful that was for me.
My sincere condolences to her family and all of those who knew Ms. Robinson. She would want us all to see the beauty in all phases of her life as we remember and celebrate her.
Sincerely,
Virginia “Ginny” Weeks
Class of 1982
Dear Ray and family,
Prayers, love, thoughts, sadness, and tears,
Tom Gilbert
To Ray, Karen and Amy…you ultimately welcomed and saw in Cathleen one tremendous human being! To the greater WNS community, we have lost a great human being – teacher, mentor, friend, colleague, confidante, steadfast believer, and other personal and professional traits numerous to mention. She possessed courage, love, compassion, and strength. We cherished her for all that she gave us. We will cherish her more for all that she will give us. RIP.
I owe my love for the Spanish language and literature to Ms. Robinson. She sparked my curiosity and fostered my love for the language, which led to an incredible and impactful academic journey through my undergraduate years. I am filled with warm memories of her dedication and commitment to her students, and the confidence she inspired in me. Thinking of her and her family, and the WNS community today!
Love to the whole Brown family from the Bakers. We are thinking of all of you. We will always love the amazing Cathleen.
My first year Spanish teacher — made it fun and inspiring. My condolences to Ray Brown and family.
Thinking of you Coach Brown, Amy and Karen. What a wonderful woman, teacher and member of our Willy community. I know you will celebrate her life well.!
Sending my love and condolences to the Brown family – Coach and Profesora were dedicated and caring teachers and mentors during my time at Williston. I’m grateful for all you did to shape my experience.
Professora Robinson❤️. Always generous with patience and time. You really left your mark in this lost little girl. You’ll always be with me️. Love to your family from this forever changed member of the class of 1977. Thank you!
Ray, Karen, and Amy:
My heart goes out to your family. Cathleen was an angel sent to us all, and most importantly to you. Her smile, genuine love, and interest in others will always be remembered by the extended Williston family. She was an influence on so many, and in so many ways. With the greatest admiration and respect I wish you peace and comfort as you mourn and celebrate a life well lived.
Steve August ’72
Memories of Señora Robinson stay fresh — a tribute to her unique character and her combination of strictness and empathy. She taught me Spanish for a few years, but I think I saw her for who she was in philosophy class: a fiercely intelligent, inspired person, committed to instructing the ill-informed (us). I’m lucky to have had her as my teacher. We desperately need her kind of excellence. My condolences to her family.
— Priscilla (Pepita) Fusco
Class of 92
Ms. Robinson’s dedication to her students was remarkable. Lessons were always carefully planned and ready to challenge even the most well-prepared students. Her AP Spanish class was demanding–but I’ll never forget how proud I was when she complimented my improved use of the subjunctive in front of the class! Her praise meant the world because it was always intentional and authentic. She cared deeply about her students and wanted us to reach our full potential. I’m truly grateful for having had the opportunity to learn from such a special teacher and person. Sending my sincere condolences to Mr. Brown and the entire Brown family.
My sincere condolences to Ray, Karen, and Amy. I only had the privilege of meeting Cathleen through Ray, but I know the way he spoke about her was with true love and admiration. A true teacher and person who cared about others and particularly young people. May she rest in peace.
Coach Brown, Amy and Karen – wishing you peace and comfort during this difficult time.
Mi más sentido pésame to all of you. Descanse en paz Profesora.
Mr. Brown, Karen and Amy,
My heartfelt thoughts are with you and your family now. May your beautiful memories of her bring you strength, comfort and peace.
Glenna Clark Clapp ’82
Heartfelt condolences to Ray, Karen and Amy. Cathleen’s kind presence was an anchor in a whirlwind and sometimes overwhelming PG year.
Professora was one of the most influential people in my life. While I was miserable at spanish (miserable!), time in her classroom was among the most formative. What she embodied in terms of dedication, wit, spirit, and humanity are all lessons that I have carried with me over the many decades since. We should all be so lucky to leave such an impression on the world.
I do not have words to express my gratitude to Cathleen, who impacted my life during the two years between when I started in 1999 and she retired in 2001. Cathleen was the person who called me when I was living in Honduras and interviewed me for the Spanish teaching position. that I accepted some twenty-seven years ago. I remember when she once called me into her classroom, where I now teach, and she explained the concept of the subjunctive mode in a way I had never learned before. To this day, I use the train model that she taught me, and I mention her to my Spanish students in gratitude for her professionalism and support. Cathleen was also the first faculty member whom I invited to accompany me in one of the six spring break service trips to Honduras, where she loved on the orphans at the orphanage where I used to work. Although Cathleen has left this earth, she will always live on in my memory and heart.
Profesora Robinson, you were an amazing teacher and advisor! I could not roll my R’s but you still encouraged me to try my best no matter what, a lesson I have carried through life. Your spirit and love of education will forever remind of all that was good during my time at Williston both as a student and as an admission officer. Thank you for encouraging me to apply for a job at Williston that became a life-long career, allowing me to connect with so many people all over the world! May you rest in peace. Ray, Karin, and Amy, our thoughts and condolences are with you!
I can’t begin to explain the profound impact Señora had on me when I arrived at Williston a month into junior year. Patience, wit, and a profound sense of humanity is what stick with me. And I’ll never forget her untaping the paper covering the English translation at the end of La Historia Oficial so we could understand—and cry—together. She will be missed deeply by all who were lucky enough to have her as a teacher.
Sra Robinson was one of the great teachers of my life. I feel so lucky to have been her student. I loved her spark and her confidence. We all knew we were in such good hands in her classes, and she knew it, too, and there was something so satisfying about our mutual assurance. She felt totally trustworthy. When while after until as soon as, Profesora! ❤️ You challenged and changed me in ways that were deeply important to me.
To Ray, Karen and Amy:
Liz and I send our deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of a very special individual. We know how much she will be missed.
Cathleen was the best teacher I ever encountered in my career – how lucky I was to have started each morning before classes in the Language Dept. sharing whatever was currently on our minds about teaching and working at Williston. Mentoring others was just one of her special gifts.
The 70s was a challenging period in Williston’s history, and Cathleen’s contributions in focusing the school on achieving academic excellence were immeasurable.
“It’s all about how you love.”
“I can only be me, you can only be you.”
“The way you seem to be to a person is the way you are for that person.”
“Nobody is indispensable.”
I can argue only with the last of those wise words from Cathleen. I cannot imagine anyone else creating and sustaining the language department where I had the good fortune to work, from 1982-2001 with Cathleen and then until 2014, still sustained by what she’d taught me. She was a Titan of courage and love, and every minute in her presence was a privilege.
Profesora Robinson was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had—brilliant, encouraging, and deeply supportive. I feel profoundly privileged to have known her, and her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched, including my own.
Coach, Amy, and Karen: I am sending you my deepest sympathy, lots of hugs, and so much love during this time. She was truly one of a kind.
Cathleen was the consummate professional who inspired a love of learning in her students. Her gift to Williston was to be a mentor and role model for several generations of Williston faculty. Her thorough preparation and commitment to teaching was unmatched and provided the inspiration to improve our craft.
Profesora Robinson, it is because of you I developed a love of Spanish and became bilingual. The foundation you taught me set me up for success when I moved to Mexico City on exchange before college and then later in my career. You made a huge impact in my life. You will be missed and always remembered.
In 1983 when I arrived at Williston, Cathleen Robinson stood as an admirable example of a master teacher, with all the qualities and skills that we, as new teachers, hoped someday to realize. Impeccably organized and thoroughly immersed in her discipline, Cathleen was dedicated to every student in every class, and she epitomized the concept of a true professional. Cathleen was able to convey to her students that there was no other place she would rather be, for sixty minutes each day, than Room 510 in the lower level of the Chapel, a great gift to all those thousands of teenagers who sat before her, speaking, reading, thinking, and feeling lucky to be in her class. I will remember Cathleen with deep gratitude for making better the school that meant so much to both of us. I am thinking of Cathleen and Ray today.
As a young faculty member who started in the fall of 1994, Cathleen was a wonderful guide and mentor. She was the consummate educator who modeled the importance of being tough but fair. She had high expectations for her students but was always available to support them on their academic journeys. Mostly, she was one of the kindest people I have ever met. My thoughts and prayers are with Ray and all who knew Cathleen well. She will be missed.
It was my privilege to know Cathleen, even if only for a relatively short time since our time at Williston only overlapped one year. Like everyone in the Williston community, it was immediately clear that she was a treasure — a truly gifted educator whose impact reached far beyond her Spanish classroom.
Cathleen’s excellence was unmistakable. She was a superb teacher of her discipline, but what made her extraordinary was that her vision of excellence went far beyond grammar and vocabulary. For her, excellence meant cultivating curiosity, confidence, integrity, and a lifelong love of learning. She demanded the very best from her students, yet she did so with a rare combination of care, compassion, and love. Her students rose to meet her expectations because they knew she believed in them completely.
Cathleen raised the bar for everyone in her orbit — fellow teachers, administrators, parents, and most especially her beloved students. She modeled what it means to pursue excellence not as a standard to measure others by, but as a daily practice rooted in generosity of spirit and deep commitment to community.
As Athletic Director, my direct work with Cathleen was limited to her service as timekeeper at varsity basketball games. Though this was a very small role in the grand scope of her contributions, even there her character shone. She approached that responsibility with the same precision, pride, and quiet dedication she brought to everything she did. It offered me a glimpse into her extraordinary qualities — her generosity, her pursuit of excellence, and her unwavering support of students both in and out of the classroom.
Cathleen’s legacy lives on in the countless lives she shaped, the standards she set, and the love of learning she inspired.
Monique and I send our deepest condolences to her beloved family — Ray, Amy, Karen and all who loved her so dearly. She will be profoundly missed and forever remembered.
Ray, Karen, and Amy,
It was with deep sadness that we, currently in FL for the winter, received phone call from our son, Jeff, telling us that Cathleen Robinson had passed away. For many years the names Williston and Cathleen Robinson were synonymous for us as one without the other just was not complete! We are forever grateful for the positive and powerful impact her guidance had on our sons during their tenures at Williston back in the 80’s! Rest in peace, Cathleen. You earned it! We are unable to attend her services, but rest assured our thoughts, prayers, and condolences will be with you at the service and in the difficult days ahead! We are so very sorry for your loss.
Debby and I (Denny Grubbs) — and Kristen ’88 — intended to come from NH/eastern MA for Cathleen’s service but yet another winter storm prevented. Cathleen was a friend and a force during our Williston Northampton era (’84-’99), and we are in her debt for her thoughts and commitments (to students, to learning, to colleagues, to purpose, and always to the highest values). She understood complex institutional realities and acted in all contexts with clarity and care. And, best, taught with amazing dedication and professionalism. Williston was SO fortunate to have her “in house” — as were we all to have her in our lives. Our most sincere condolences to Ray and their daughters and extended family — and to us all.
I was so lucky to have Ms. Robinson for Spanish and Philosophy, she had a special way of bringing out the best in everyone in the class with her warmth, kindness and patience. She was a light in the entire Williston community and will be remembered fondly and affectionately by all who knew her. Profesora Robinson was the kind of teacher we’ll remember through the years, far beyond the subject matter she taught.
With deepest sympathy to Coach Brown, Karen and Amy, – Joe Wright ’80 (Jose)