Funeral Services for Leon J. Robison, 78, of Fairview, will be held 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 27, 2010, at the Church of the Nazarene in Fairview, Oklahoma. The Reverend Charles McKinney will officiate. Arrangements are by Fairview Funeral Home, Inc.

Viewing will be from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday and from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Wednesday at Fairview Funeral Home, Inc. There will be viewing prior to the service at the church.

Leon J. Robison was born northwest of Watonga, Oklahoma on September 1, 1931 to John Stephen and Lillie Gladys (Smith) Robison and passed away, Sunday, January 24, 2010 at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Leon attended country schools, 1st grade at Whistler Grade School and Riverdale Grade School both northwest of Watonga. His family moved to a farm northwest of Longdale around 1937. Leon started school at Sternburg and graduated the 8th grade. He attended freshman, sophomore and junior years at Longdale High School. He met the love of his life at a class party, she had the prettiest hair he had ever seen and it was love at first sight for him. Leon married Zelpha Jean Janzen on November 6, 1949 in the Assembly of God Church in Fairview. Leon and Zelpha were blessed with four children: Connie Jean, Jerry Dean, Johnnie Lee, and Barry Lynn.
In Leon's early childhood years, from the age of four to twelve, he pulled weeds out of the rows of beans on hand and knees, picked fruit, and hoed cotton fields, working side by side with his parents as migrant workers in Colorado in the summers. He helped his Dad in the fields at home and took care of the animals.
After he married, Leon worked at Hallren's Produce in Fairview. He did everything from killing chickens and turkeys, to working in the creamery and cow hide pits. Leon was not afraid of hard work, other jobs taken to feed his family included harvesting watermelons, cleaning watermelon seed, picking cotton and chopping fire wood with an axe. Leon left work at Hallren's in 1951 to work for Carrier Oil (Harold Carrier, owner). He delivered oil to farmers around Fairview, Cheyenne Valley, Longdale, Ringwood and Waynoka. He hauled all diesel fuel for the building of the highway from Okeene to Ringwood, for the highway from the nine-mile corner to Fairview, and for the highway from Bouse Junction to Cheyenne Valley. Leon also worked in Carrier's Body Shop and Gas Station. He worked long, hard hours, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. six days a week, with only Sunday off, all for $50.00 per week. Leon helped build the Fairview City Swimming Pool from 1952 to 1953 where he used a pick and a shovel to dig the pool. Dirt was hauled out in a wheel-barrow. Leon went to work at U.S. Gypsum in 1954 as a sacker, sacking 100 pound bags by hand. He was able to sack 10 ton a day (20,000 lbs.). Then sacks were rolled into a railroad boxcar in 120-degree summers; three men were required to stack each boxcar with 120 tons per day, six days a week, eight hours a day, and only Sunday off.
Leon moved his family to Oklahoma City in the spring of 1958 to attend Barber College. This was not an easy task, but Zelpha helped him study and helped get him through school. He graduated in October 1958 and went to work in Kingfisher with a barber who was excellent at cutting flat tops. Leon moved back to Fairview on Thanksgiving of 1958 to open Leon's Barber Shop on the corner of Main and Broadway in the old Boehs Hotel. He barbered there until 1976 when he bought the old Lynn Bryant Barber Shop and moved across the street. Leon barbered there until 1984, when due to health reasons he was forced to retire from barbering. All through the years, Leon had farmed, ranched and raised his beloved horses.
In 1984, after retiring from barbering, Leon and Zelpha moved to the farm west of Fairview to the "Midway Place" where Leon farmed and ranched full time. In 1986, Leon and Zelpha purchased the Robison Motel in Fairview and in 1995; they purchased the Classic Inn across the street. They sold the Robison Motel in 2006 and the Classic Inn in 2007. Leon was a member of the Fairview First Church of the Nazarene. He was a founding member of the Fairview Wranglers and belonged to the American Quarter Horse Association and the Thoroughbred Jockey Club.
Leon is survived by his wife Zelpha; children Connie Jean (Robison) Blundell and husband David of Fairview, Jerry Dean Robison and wife Connie of Fairview, Johnnie Lee Robison and wife Kathy of Fairview, and Barry Lynn Robison and wife Julie of Pampa, Texas; 13 grandchildren,, Melissa (Blundell) Hakman and husband Gregory of Mustang, Oklahoma, Melinda Blundell of Charlotte, North Carolina, Christy (Robison) Springwater and husband Steven of Park Hill, Oklahoma, Angie (Robison) Burnham and husband Jamie of Custer City, Oklahoma, Jeromy Sol Robison of Enid, Oklahoma, Jason Robison of Norman, Oklahoma, Brock Robison and wife Kari Jo of Fairview, Brigit Robison of Perkins, Oklahoma, Brooke (Robison) Rauh and husband Justin of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Kari Lynn Robison of Pampa, Texas, Brady Mockelmann of Fairview, Laura Mockelmann of Morgan City, Louisiana and Jason Mockelmann of Cheyenne Wells, Colorado; eleven great-grandchildren; one brother, Don S. Robison and wife Margaret of Kingfisher, Oklahoma; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
His parents preceded him in death.
Memorial donations may be made to the Fairview First Church of the Nazarene or to the OMRF Heart Fund with Fairview Funeral Home, Inc. serving as custodian of the funds.

Condolences may be made online at www.fairviewfuneralhomeinc.com