Charles F. (Charlie) Robins, a native of Tampa and long-time local newspaper columnist, died December 4, 2012, after battling cancer for several years.He was 79.
Charlie grew up in Tampa and St. Petersburg and was a graduate of the Hillsborough High School class of 1951. After serving two years in the Army in Germany, he received his BA degree in history from the University of Tampa in 1958, and began his journalism career as a reporter for The Tampa Tribune.
In 1962, he left to join the information office at the University of South Florida, but returned to the newspaper business in 1964 with The Tribune's afternoon sister paper, The Tampa Times.There, for almost 20 years, he wrote a usually light-hearted daily column until the paper was shut down in 1982.For another 11 years he wrote two columns a week for The Lakeland Ledger.
Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Belle Robins of Tampa, and his brothers, Howard of Atlanta, and Fred of Riverview.
He is survived by his loving, and much-loved, wife of 55 years, Carol;daughter, Susan Daley of Melbourne Beach; son, Les and wife, Sherri, of Malone, WI and Tampa; grandson, Charlie Daley; granddaughter, Lilly Kate Robins; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Charlie's life will be held at the Colonnade Restaurant, 3401 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, December 15, 2012, from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m.

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