On Monday November 11th, 2019, Cecile “Celie” Jones Robin at the age of 88. Beloved wife of the late Charles R. Robin Jr. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles H. Jones and Eleanor Cure Jones Burthe. Loving mother of Ricky Robin (Susie), Charles R. Robin III (Lisa), Teresa “Terri” Lauzon (Buby) and Ellie Melancon (Steven). Proud grandmother of 14 grandchildren: Valerie (Marc) Crawford, Phoebe Stinson (James), Ricky Robin Jr., Tiffani Berheisel (Bret), Ryan Robin, Albert Lauzon, Charles Robin IV, Ross Robin, Daniel Melancon, Laura Melancon, Gabriel Robin, Curtis Roberts (Alisha), Natasha Mullins and Brittney Mullins; proud great grandmother of 25 great grandchildren. Celie was born in New Orleans during the height of the Great Depression and reached maturity in the Treme neighborhood, a residential section inhabited by her family since the early nineteenth century. She was reared by her maternal great grandmother, Cecilia Pitre Cure Houin, who was renowned in New Orleans as a midwife. Many a New Orleanian was brought into this world by this indomitable lady who recalled the occupation of New Orleans by Admiral Farragut in April 1862 and many a catastrophe which befell old New Orleans. Through her great grandmother, Celie learned important lessons which built her personal strength and appreciation for the diverse culture that was and remains St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans. As late as 2007, Celie was still visiting Katie, a Black lady who had cared for Celie in her youth – she still lived on Bayou Road in Treme after many years and was as thrilled to see Celie as she had been sixty years before during Celie’s childhood. Celie was educated in Catholic schools and became rooted solidly in the Catholic Faith, a faith that sustained her through floods and many other upheavals in her life. She remembered and had participated in second-line funerals, recalled the skeleton men and the Baby Dolls who paraded on Mardi Gras Day in Treme. St. Augustine Church was her church parish and had been the church of many of her ancestors. Although Celie grew up without much money like most everyone else in those days, she was rich in her family upbringing and her community. She learned the great virtue of living a simple, honest life of integrity punctuated by devout adherence to the Roman Catholic Faith. In her adolescence she first visited eastern St. Bernard Parish and met the love of her life, Charles “Charlito” or “Chito” Robin. Chito descended from a family of commercial fishermen, trappers and professional hunters whose ancestors had helped to found St. Bernard Parish in the late eighteenth century. Celie and Chito were married March 5, 1949 and Celie moved permanently to eastern St. Bernard Parish, living briefly in Hopedale and then moving to Yscloskey where she resided until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Celie did everything with Chito, even working as his deckhand in the 1980’s. Celie was fascinated by the folk traditions of the Isleno descendants’ community. She studied the folk remedies and other “cures” which were prevalent in Yscloskey, Shell Beach and the region. She became an accomplished cook, not only mastering old New Orleans Creole cuisine, but the traditional cuisine of the Isleno community as well. She encouraged Chito to build model boats and assisted him in conducting research to correctly identify the vessels and their heritage. Chito and Celie became an institution in the world renowned New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival displaying his unsurpassed collection of model boats. After Hurricane Betsy destroyed St. Joseph’s Chapel in Yscloskey, St. James Chapel at Delacroix and St. Francis Chapel at Bencheque-Reggio, Celie worked tirelessly to construct San Pescador Church. She also served as a girl’s baseball coach, designed and sewed dresses for the annual Blessing of the Fleet over many decades, designed and sewed wedding gowns for young ladies in the community, served as an active member of the Sebastien Roy Mother’s Club, served as 4-H coordinator for Sebastien Roy School, worked for the St. Bernard Council on Aging and was for many years the staff docent at Los Islenos Museum where she toured visitors from across the face of the globe. She was interviewed by the local, regional, state, national and international press about the Islenos and St. Bernard Parish. She was widely recognized and respected as the quintessential representative of eastern St. Bernard Parish and the Isleno fishing community. Celie was awarded the Medal of Saint Louis by the Archdiocese of New Orleans for her outstanding contributions to the Roman Catholic community of faith. Her life experiences were legion and throughout it all, she maintained her humility and first and foremost, an overwhelming desire to serve her family, her community, her heritage and her church. Nothing honorable was beyond or beneath Celie – her charisma and love of mankind permeated everything she did for all. Her quick wit was still another virtue. She was an astute judge of all she saw and learned early on to accept weaknesses and celebrate strengths of all that surrounded her. Born to lead, she did so effectively while enjoying that which she was able to accomplish through team-work with others. Celie was the consummate team player. Celie was a truly remarkable community leader and family matriarch. Her life stands as an object lesson in the best instincts of humanity. The family would like to express sincere gratitude to Celie’s care givers at Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Home and Notre Dame Hospice Care. Relatives and friends attended a visitation and funeral mass held at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 2805 Bayou Rd., St. Bernard, LA on Friday, November 15, 2019. She processed with family and friends into the cemetery, led by a brass band, then laid to eternal rest with her beloved husband Charles in St. Bernard Catholic Cemetery. To view and sign the Family Guestbook, please visit www.stbernardmemorial.com.