Ruth Robbins

MADISON - Ruth Nell Robbins age 88 passed away on Monday, May 21, 2012.
She was born in Vacaville, CA to Andreas and Katharina (Streiff) Nell and grew up in San Francisco, CA. She earned a BA in Chemistry at UC Berkeley and later completed her MS in Biochemistry at UW Madison. She married George Robbins in 1950 and balanced raising three children with her scientific endeavors. From research work on paralytic shellfish poisoning, to laboratory work on vitamin A at the WARF, to a 20 year stint at the UW Food Research Institute including research on toxic shock syndrome, she had a long and varied career. Ruth also enjoyed gardening, opera, bird watching, traveling out west and visiting relatives in Switzerland.
With several neighbor friends she joined a long term study researching the effects of exercise on osteoporosis. Because so many of the women enjoyed the exercise benefits, they kept it going with paid instructors. Ruth attended regularly for 35 years.
Ruth is survived by her husband, George; her sons, David (Joy), Clyde (Mary); her daughter, Nancy; her grandchildren, Daniel (Kate), Katherine, Ariel, Michael (Sara), Andrew (Alison), Elizabeth (Zack), Peter, Tristan, Margaret (Peter), Breanna, Rachel, and Sarah; and her great-grandchildren, Shawn, Daman, James, and Beatrice. She is further survived by her elder sister, Grace in California; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Alfred, and her sister, Andrea.
A private memorial gathering is planned.