William Todd Robins III died at home Friday, March 21, 2014 at the age of 97 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He lived an incredibly long, productive, and active life. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Nathaniel Bowman Robins; his sister, Annette Robins Hawkins; a grandson, William Todd Robins; and his wife of 68 years, Dorothy Sumner Martin Robins. He is survived by two children: Sallie Martin Robins Johnson and husband James Milton Johnson and William Todd Robins IV and wife Lisa, both of Birmingham; by four grandchildren: Sumner Johnson Rives and husband John, Milton Robins Johnson and wife Kate, both of Birmingham, and Carter Martin Robins, Chicago, IL, and Emily Frances Robins, Nashville, Tenn. He is also survived by five great grandchildren: Grant Fisher Johnson, Douglas Robins Johnson, Kathryn Bowman Rives, William Thomas Rives, and Davis Heaton Rives, all of Birmingham. Todd was born on April 8, 1916 at Kewadin, the home of his maternal grandparents, in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Annette Louise Bowman and William Wilmer Nelson Robins, he lived in Virginia, Baltimore, MD, and Brooklyn, NY, where his father was an author and newspaper reporter. He attended schools in Baltimore, Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, and was graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1933 He was graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1937 and was employed by US Steel originally in Pittsburg, PA, and then transferred to Birmingham in 1938. He enlisted as a Second Lieutenant after Pearl Harbor and served with the Corps of Engineers in England, North Africa, and from Naples to the Casino Valley, Italy. Returning to Birmingham in 1945, he started a new business, Robins Engineering, Inc. in 1946, which is now known as Robins & Morton, a nationally recognized commercial and industrial construction company. He retired in 1992 at the age of 76. He has been an active member and past Vestry member of All Saints' Episcopal Church. He was a member of the Society of Cincinnati in the State of Virginia, a past President of the Sons of the Revolution, past Board Member of the Birmingham Exchange Club, and past President of Alabama Associated General Contractors. He was honored as Engineer of the Year in 1984 by Pi Gamma Phi, National Society of Professional Engineers. He was also a member of Vestavia Country Club, Shoal Creek Club, and The Club. When Todd retired, he began playing golf three days a week and finally gave up the game at age 97. His keen interest in science and history led to a love of reading, learning, and new experiences, which made him a special companion to his friends and beloved family. Interment will be 10:00 AM, Monday, March 24, 2014 at Elmwood Cemetery with a Memorial Service at 11:30 AM at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Homewood, AL. Visitation with the family will follow at the church In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Birmingham Museum of Art, 8000 Rev. Abraham Woods Dr, Birmingham, AL 35203, or All Saints' Episcopal Church, 110 West Hawthorne Rd., Birmingham, AL 35209.

Published in The Birmingham News from Mar. 22 to Mar. 23, 2014