The Life of Gloria Robinson
Gloria Robinson of Stratham, a long-time local math teacher and wonderful wife, mom, and friend, has passed away in January 2026. She was 86.
Born in Georgia in December 1939, Robinson was one of four to her parents: Edward (or “Red”) – her dad who was a barber -- and Esther – her mom who managed a school cafeteria. Robinson’s asthma forced the family to seek the sea in Jacksonville, Fla., early in her childhood. There Gloria developed a lifelong love of reading, of math, of friendship, and of the ocean – four of the five themes that would serve and guide her for the rest of her life.
A first-generation college student, Robinson went to Stetson University where she was a math major and married right out of college, moving up to New Hampshire and having two babies. She divorced early on, finding her true love just a few years later in Samuel F. Robinson, a New Castle native and genius of all the things. They had two more children together.
While raising these four children, Robinson became a math teacher before being promoted to the head of the math department at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, NH. She was at Winnacunnet for the duration of her 32-year career.
Many locals may remember her as the teacher who created an 8th grade algebra program that entailed bussing in kids from the surrounding schools for an early morning class. The program ran for 11 years in the 1980s and 90s; it became very prestigious and caused intense competition among 8th graders – and their parents – for a spot.
Robinson’s enthusiasm for her subject catapulted many children into a lifelong love of not only math, but also learning. She taught thousands of students over the years and made a difference in the lives of many; some even kept the letters she wrote them, giving feedback on work or letting them know they had gotten into that 8th grade program.
In 1996, Robinson retired at 56 thanks to a district buyout program and she gleefully began nurturing her love of travel – the fifth major theme of her life. She spent 30 years travelling with her love, her children, and her good friends to dozens of countries, especially in Europe, and having wonderful (often mis-)adventures from Rome to the rivers of Eastern Europe as well as throughout the United States.
Robinson was a storyteller at her core. She had a quick wit and an easy laugh in recounting self-deprecating tales and imparting her particularly unique brand of advice – none of which she expected anyone to follow.
Robinson was a non-traditionalist who chafed against expected ways of thinking and yet was guided by a moral compass that never wavered. To this day, her adult children still hear her voice in their head when they are about to resolve some ethical conundrum; they report this experience to be disquieting and irritating but effective.
Over the years, Robinson also volunteered as a math tutor and at the local food pantry, served on the so-called “Sunshine Committee” of her housing association, and was always first to raise her hand to bring someone comfort or to make food for an ailing neighbor or friend.
Especially in her later years, she played a terrible game of golf but was so hilarious, never wanted for partners on the green. She was a voracious reader; a journal she started keeping of the books she had finished numbered some 180 titles in 3 years. But she did not suffer fools: if the author didn’t captivate her before the first 100 pages, she moved on unapologetically.
She survived two kinds of cancer – breast cancer and multiple bouts with all kinds of skin cancer, including the deadly melanoma.
She leaves behind her loving husband, Samuel, and four children – Cindy Slater of Maine, Ted Camp of New Hampshire, Susan Robinson of Wisconsin, and Michael Robinson of Virginia – as well as some 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
We would be remiss to not also mention the legion of friends she had throughout her life and especially into her old age, including Karen and Chuck Weinhold of Hampton, Marie Mathews of Hampton, Betty Moore of Durham, and Ruth Carney of Stratham. We know there are many more of you as well; know that we are all remembering her in solidarity.
Gloria Robinson will be greatly missed. Hers was a life well lived. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation or the Melanoma Research Foundation in memory of The Great Glo-Glo Robinson. We will not do a public funeral; instead, go do some sudoku, read a book, travel to an ocean, or make a friend in her memory.