Obituary: Timothy C. Robinson
Timothy C. Robinson, 94, passed away on the evening of Friday, May 29, 2026, while residing at Piper Shores retirement community in Scarborough. He died peacefully in his sleep.
Robinson was born on June 6, 1931, in Portland to Harold R. Robinson and Harriette Woolverton. He grew up in Cape Elizabeth, attended the town’s schools, and graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1949. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College in 1953 before moving to Boston in 1960, where he completed all but the dissertation for a PhD in philosophy and obtained a master’s degree from Boston University.
His early career began at the family‑run C.H. Robinson Paper Company in Portland. After teaching philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, he joined Little, Brown & Co. in Boston in 1971. Over the years he rose to senior vice president and president of the firm’s Professional Publishing division, overseeing the law and medical textbook lines.
In 1966 Robinson married Maren Heidelauf, whom he had met years earlier in a summer‑school logic class. The couple shared 55 years together until Maren’s death in 2021. They lived in Boston and Cambridge for much of their marriage and moved full‑time to Maine in 2010.
During retirement Robinson pursued classes in film, literature and current events at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement. He also traveled widely with Maren, visiting Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, New Zealand, China, England, Italy and Romania.
Volunteer work occupied a significant part of his later life. He served as president of both the Handel and Haydn Society and the Megantic Fish and Game Corporation, sat on the board of Cambridge Family and Children’s Service, was a member of the advisory council for the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, and remained a long‑time participant in the St. Botolph Club.
Those who knew him described Robinson as generous, good‑humored, well‑read, intellectually curious, a careful planner, and an enthusiast of classical music, travel, the outdoors and fly‑fishing. He also enjoyed good food and drink and was noted for his devotion to his family.
He is survived by his four sons—Tony, Michael, Tyler and Peter—along with nine grandchildren: Jacob, Max, Alex, Giulia and Victoria, David and Theo, Lara and John Ahearn. Two great‑grandchildren, Thatcher and Ashton, also survive him. Additional surviving relatives include daughters‑in‑law Junghwa Shin, Roberta Fabbri and Anca Bieru; sister‑in‑law Barbara; brother‑in‑law Robert Ward; nieces Ann Jones, Kimberly Kozuch and Stephanie Chiari; and nephews Frank S. Strout, Andrew Strout and Timothy Strout.
Robinson was predeceased by his brother, John M. Robinson, who died in 2006, and his sister, Ann Elizabeth Strout, who passed in 2015.
The family expressed gratitude to the staff at Maine Medical Center and Piper Shores, singling out Cheryl Poitras for the care they provided.
A private graveside service will be held at Riverside Memorial Cemetery, located at the Spurwink Church in Cape Elizabeth. Those wishing to leave a tribute may visit http://www.jonesrichandbarnes. In lieu of flowers, donations can be directed to the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust (https://www.capelandtrust.org/) or the Handel and Haydn Society (https://handelandhaydn.org/).
