Betty Robinson
June 18, 1945 – March 9, 2026 | A Life Beautifully, Boldly Lived
Passed away peacefully at her home in Cambridge, Ontario on Monday, March 9, 2026 at the age of 80.
Beloved mother of Ted Bilous (Tammey Bilous), Nicole Robinson (Clarence Cachagee), and Brad Robinson (Amanda Robinson).
Proud grandmother of Skye, Levi, Hunter (Courtney), Logan (Heather), Devin, Sam, and Sarah (Thomas). Cherished great-grandmother of Walker, Gabriel, and Jonah. Loving aunt to Angie (Willie), Renee, Shon (Deana), and Ned (Lisa), Remembered also by Isabella, Chloe, Landon, Vance, and Morley.
Dear sister of Mary, and predeceased by her brothers John, Peter, Tom, and Steve, and her sister Judy.
Predeceased by her parents Arnold Wilson and Annie Wilson (nee Romanoff).
Betty Robinson was not the kind of person who walked into a room unnoticed. She brought laughter with her, she reached back for the people behind her, and she had a way of making everyone around her feel like they were exactly where they were supposed to be. She passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, at the age of 80, leaving behind a family who adored her, a community richer for having known her, and a life that was lived with full heart from beginning to end.
Betty grew up in a large family alongside her siblings Mary, John, Peter, Tom, Steve, and Judy. Her parents were Arnold Wilson and Annie Wilson (nee Romanoff), who met at Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf in Belleville, Ontario. Her mother Annie lost her hearing as a young girl in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and her father, Arnold, born deaf, raised thier large family filled with love. They built a good life together, and Betty carried that example with her always.
Betty was the first woman to sell cars in Northern Ontario at a time when that industry belonged entirely to men. She jumped in anyway, and she was good at it. From there she went on to work in real estate and also spent years as a private investigator, jobs that suited her well because she was sharp, she read people easily, and she knew how to get things done. She also gave many years of selfless service to Canadian Blood Services, quietly showing up for others the way she always did. In whatever she took on, the approach was always the same: show up, work hard, and make sure the people around you are taken care of.
Ask anyone who knew her and the first thing they’ll mention is her light and laughter. Betty was funny in the way that good people are funny, finding the humour in everyday things without ever being unkind about it. She made friends easily and kept them for years. She had a gift for bringing people together and making them feel welcome, and she never seemed to tire of it. Her friendships mattered to her deeply and she looked after them.
Betty loved to dance. As teenagers, she and her brother John won dance competitions together, and by all accounts they were something to watch. That love of music and movement never left her. She was a regular at live blues shows in Kitchener, Ontario, and kept dancing well into her seventies. Those nights out meant a great deal to her and to the people lucky enough to be there with her. She was a big supporter of the Grand River Blues Society and had many friends through this music scene who will surely miss her presence at local shows.
Family was the thing Betty organised her life around. She raised her daughter Nicole Robinson (Clarence Cachagee) and her youngest son Brad Robinson (Amanda Robinson) and gave everything she had to being their mother. She also reunited with her first born son, Ted Bilous (Tammey Bilous), in her early 50s. This reunion filled a void and completed her. Nicole and Brad’s father Allan Robinson was by Betty’s side when she passed. Though the two had been separated for over forty years, they had always stayed close and made their children the priority. They were kind to each other when it mattered most, and it showed in the people their kids became. Betty watched her family grow through her grandchildren Skye, Levi, Hunter, Logan, Devin, Sam, and Sarah, and lived to know her great-grandchildren Walker, Gabriel, and Jonah. She loved all of them without condition. She will also be remembered by Isabella, Chloe, Landon, Vance, and Morley.
Betty is survived by her sister Mary. She is reunited in the spirit world with her brothers John, Peter, Tom, and Steve, and her sister Judy. Her family believes that somewhere on the other side, the music is already playing and Betty and John have found the dance floor again, the same way they did when they were young.
Betty Robinson lived eighty years and filled every one of them. She came from hard beginnings and she never used that as a reason to be anything other than generous, funny, and present for the people she loved. Ontario was her home and her people were her life. She leaves behind not just a family but a way of being in the world that her children and grandchildren will carry forward. That is a real and lasting thing.
Cremation has taken place and a celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations made to Grand River Blues Society would be appreciated by the family.
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