Letters/Discussion Forums
The sad homecoming of Stanley Robbins
I want to share a story of how somebody who was missing was located. I was the one who found him. Phyllis Robins, a friend of mine, phoned me and told me that her brother, South African-born Stanley Robbins, had not phoned her for a month from America; this was about December 24.
Sydney Brian Shefts
She asked me to help find out what had happened to him. She gave me an address. I tried to get the telephone number from the address, but failed to do so. I also knew that Stanley was a pharmacist and the pharmacy group he worked for. I phoned them all, but with no luck.
I knew that Stanley was staying in Los Banos, California and decided to phone the Los Banos police. I spoke to a policewoman who promised to find out if Stanley was still at the address that Phyllis had given me.
It then became apparent that Stanley unfortunately had passed on. The policewoman gave me the phone number of the deputy coroner. Stanley was found after a friend of his, Henry Lowe, was unable to make contact with him. His body was found on December 16. It appeared he had gone into a diabetic coma and died.
Stanley’s body was flown from Los Angeles to Johannesburg. He was buried in the Brakpan cemetery on February 12.
At the funeral I said the Kaddish and will do so for 11 months as there is no one else to do so.
So Stanley came home.
Illovo, Johannesburg
nat cheiman
February 25, 2016 at 3:12 pm
‘Nice one Sid. Its a mitzvah’
Patricia Behre
October 8, 2016 at 9:23 am
‘I was Stanley’s very close friend. Loved him very much. We were together as a couple for 6 beautiful years. Stanley was the best man I have ever known. I miss him every day.
‘