Allen Robinson, 100, of Philadelphia, the longtime owner of A&B Auto Repairs on North Van Pelt Street in North Philadelphia West, car enthusiast, and neighborhood mentor, died Friday, July 15, of respiratory failure at Roxborough Memorial Hospital.
And it wasn’t just auto repair skills that Mr. Robinson shared. “Teaching you qualities like work ethic, love, respect, and taking care of your responsibilities are just a few of the things that has made me into the man I am today,” said his son Ellis Gindraw. “Pop bought enough food so that if a kid didn’t have enough at home, they could sit to his table with his family and eat,” Mr. Robinson’s family said in a tribute. “He was known for depositing something in everyone he encountered. If someone asked for something, he would give it and look for nothing in return.”
He returned to McBee every year to visit family and friends, and eventually could make the trip without using a map or GPS. His last trip south came just two weeks before his death.