Olive Elizabeth (Eastburn) Robbins, age 87, of Newark, went to join our Lord and her beloved family and friends in heaven on Saturday, April 20, 2024.  She passed peacefully in prayer with family at her side.

Olive enjoyed learning and was valedictorian of her class at William Penn High School (1955).  She worked as a secretary and property manager in her early years, and enjoyed traveling around the United States.  Her husband Bobby was in the Air Force and they lived in Massachusetts, Colorado, the Azores, California and Maryland, before returning home to Delaware.  Olive worked at Delaware Community College for 30+ years and loved her time there managing programs, supporting finance office operations, and earning an Associate’s degree in Administration (1981/1984).  She also went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Wilmington College (1988).

Olive was a woman of Christian faith and loved serving her church, Christiana Presbyterian.  She sang in the choir, served as Secretary and Elder, and supported many committees and events.  Most of all she loved the community of long-time friends that she made there.  For Olive, time spent gardening was a joy; she loved getting her hands in the dirt!  And coming from a farming family she had a prolific green thumb, raising orchids, violets, bonsai, gladiolus, peony, and more.  Olive also created beautiful needlework and crochet; her baby blankets are treasured. Her home was always decorated for the season or holiday, especially Christmas (her favorite) which included delicious cookies.  Olive was a loving and supportive mother, sister, and friend and will be missed by all who were blessed to know her.

Olive is survived by her 2 children, Bryan and Deborah (Andrew England), grandchildren Alexander England (Alexa) and Jonathan England (Chloe), 3 great-grandchildren Connor, Emma, and Jameson, and sister Carolyn Eastburn.  She is preceded in death by her husband, Bobby, sisters Esther and Bertha (Alpheus), brothers Samuel (Emma), Alfred (Elizabeth, Anne), and Francis (Mary), and her parents Samuel and Nellie Crossan Eastburn.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 26 from 4-6pm at R.T. Foard Funeral Home in Newark, Delaware.  A Christian service will be held on Tuesday, April 30 at 11am at Christiana Presbyterian Church, followed by a luncheon (please let us know if you will join us).  Interment will be at Ebenezer United Methodist Church Cemetery at a later time.  In lieu of flowers (Olive loved them), donations can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or Longwood Gardens (a favorite place to visit).