Dewey Robson

Dewey B. Robson, 89, Fargo (formerly Carrington, North Dakota), passed away Sunday, July 8, 2018 at Touchmark at Harwood Groves, Fargo. Dewey was born February 2, 1929 in Sioux City, Iowa to Ruhle and Jane (Beals) Robson. He graduated from Oto High School, Oto, Iowa in 1947. Dewey worked in the family bee business starting at age 12, then left to work towards an engineering degree at Wayne State and Iowa State. Rather than finish the degree, Dewey returned to bees, working alongside his brother, William, for a few years before enlisting in the United States Air Force from 1951 through 1954. After leaving the Air Force, he alternated beekeeping with several jobs in electronics taking him across the United States to Seattle, Michigan, Philadelphia and Boston and more. A truck accident destroyed most of his bees and left him nearly broke. He proceeded to work full time in electronics to earn enough money to get back into the bee business, eventually buying a small operation in Clearbrook, MN. In 1965, Dewey married Orlyn Wennberg Johnson of Clearbrook, MN. A few years later, he expanded his beekeeping operation and they moved to Carrington, ND, where they lived until 2011. Each year, they would travel to Woodville, TX, where they would winter the bees. He was a member of the Sioux Honey Association for over 50 years, was awarded Member of the Year and served on the Board of Directors of the Association. Sioux Honey Conventions provided vacations around the world. Dewey and Orlyn also took long trips with their travel trailer spanning from Alaska to New Brunswick and he looked forward to retiring and traveling with Orlyn. However, that was not to be as she started to struggle with dementia and mobility. His work continued as he tirelessly cared for her: researching her condition, helping her to communicate and move, and entertaining her with endless card games. Dewey was active in many business endeavors, helping other entrepreneurs get started, including: beekeeping businesses, a car wash, and a laundromat. He was also a founder of a biotech company, Aldevron. Dewey was always handy with equipment repair and often made unique tools to get his work done. Most recently crafting his own eye dropper enhancement that eased the task of applying his glaucoma medicine. Despite the somewhat gruff exterior, Dewey always had a soft spot for those less fortunate and often quietly helped those in need by providing a job, a car, or other forms of assistance. He is survived by his children: Ronald (Dawn) Robson, Fargo, ND; Lori Chambers, Fargo, ND; daughter-in-law: Sharon Johnson, Clearbrook, MN; 7 grandchildren: Michael (Victoria) Chambers, Fargo, ND; Matthew Chambers, Fargo, ND; Ethan (Heidi) Johnson, Carrington, ND; Dana (Andrea) Johnson, Carrington, ND; Marcus Johnson, Clearbrook, MN; Amanda Robson, Fargo, ND; Luke Robson, Lincoln, NE; 5 great-granddaughters and 4 great-grandsons; brother, Don (Ginger) Robson, Sun City West, AZ, and sister, Myrtie (Gaylen) Demarest, Cushing, IA. Dewey was preceded in death by his parents, loving wife, Orlyn; son, Jerel Johnson; brothers, William Robson, Arlin Robson, and one sister, Betty Johnson. Memorial Service: 2:00 P.M. Thursday, July 12, 2018 at Touchmark at Harwood Groves, Fargo with visitation starting at 1:00 P.M.In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation such as the Fargo New Life Center (fargonlc.org), which was close to Dewey’s heart. Interment: Carrington Cemetery at a later date.