Robyn Lynne Barclay

There is no doubt that Robyn Barclay lived her life to the fullest. Known to squeeze in every drop of energy into each day, she lived her life selflessly serving others. She held a fierce love for her family and loved to select the most perfect presents and mementos for them during special holidays and celebrations. Nothing brought her greater joy than spending time with her extended family and showering them with attention. Robyn was a beautiful example of living a life of purpose and others were made to become better people just to be in her presence. Gone too soon, Robyn's zest for life and her remarkable compassion for others will be her greatest legacy.
Robyn's story begins in the year 1979. The quiz game, Trivial Pursuit, was gaining in popularity. Michael Jackson had just released his album, Off the Wall, and the Sony Walkman was a worldwide success! During a promising time in our nation's history, Lynn and Rosanna (Friese) Martinson welcomed home their newborn baby girl, Robyn Lynne, on April 26th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her birth brought them great joy.
Her strong attention to schedule and detail could be seen from a young age. Whatever Robyn set her heart to doing, she gave it her all. Teachers were often challenged with the task of finding harder material for her as she was a sponge of knowledge, once she learned something, she filed it away to recall as needed. Active and busy throughout her adolescence, she balanced three jobs; waitressing, working at the local nursing home, and managing a pool, while maintaining good grades. Robyn was a model student as well as daughter as she never capable of telling a lie. Instead, she focused on being an overachiever and pleasing those who meant the most to her.
Graduating with the Class of 1997 from Red Wing High School where she was both the Prom Queen and the student body President, she set off for Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. By 2001, she had earned dual bachelor degrees in Biology and English. With a strong desire to help others, she enrolled at UW La Crosse to became a physician's assistant. Achieving honors as a student, she also held the position as President of the student body during her time there. Her hard work paid off with a position in the Emergency Department at the Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota, for thirteen years where she was well liked by the staff and patients.
Not to be forgotten, however, was the meeting of Ben Barclay, who would change of her life forever! Ben was often late for the psychology class they shared at Luther leading Robyn to take notice. Over the course of that semester they had grown a mutual fondness for the quirks of the other, and Ben signed up for the next class they would share together! It was an English class and Ben later made a career of teaching English! Sharing many commonalities, the happy couple joined in marriage on October 18, 2003, in Red Wing. Together they raised two wonderful sons; Jonas and Miles. They were the light of her life. Robyn was active and involved in their lives even taking on the role as PTO President at their school. She also switched up her job by shifting to the anti-coagulation unit in order to spend more time with them. Robyn celebrated their many successes over the years including when they had both read one million words!
In addition to her love of shopping, cooking, and celebrating holidays with family, Robyn's favorite pastime was planning vacations. She would spend hours researching the best places to visit and make a literal binder for them to follow on their journey. Camping wasn't her favorite, but she went along as long as the three nights in a tent on her queen blow up mattress qualified for at least one night in a hotel! Many of their travels included cave tours even though she was claustrophobic. As long as Ben and the boys were having fun that is all that mattered to her. As a family, they toured many parks including Yellowstone and Yosemite. Her ultimate goal was to visit all of the national parks in the US.
A close-knit family, they shared the love of reading together. A memorable time was when they read aloud, Where the Red Fern Grows, and as a result, all of them cried at the end. Knowing her level of achievement and accomplishments, the boys wanted nothing more than to please her. She was a wonderful mother and loving wife and her family was always her greatest priority. Gathering people together and spending quality time with others made her heart content. Robyn was a source of love and her deep devotion for all people was not only admirable, it was the core of who she was as a person. Her unconditional love will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by the countless lives she touched over the years. May her loved ones draw on her positive approach to living as well as her ability to balance all of the rich opportunities in life.
Robyn Lynne Barclay, age 40, of St. Charles, Minnesota, died Saturday, July 20, 2019, at Mayo Clinic Hospital as a result of injuries received in a motor vehicle accident. Robyn is survived by her husband, Ben, her two sons; Jonas and Miles, parents; Lynn and Rosanna Martinson, a brother, Alex (Katie) Martinson and their five daughters; Abigail, Isabel, Emelia, Olivia, and Claire. She is also survived by Ben's family, including his parents; Judy and Rusty Barclay, two brothers; Nic Barclay (Katie) and their daughter, Zoa, and Russ (Jenn) Barclay and their children; Noelle, Joshua, Cooper, and Carissa. She was preceded in death by an infant sister, April. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at Hoff Funeral Service in St. Charles and from 10-11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Services to remember Robyn will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 25, 2019, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in St. Charles with Pastors Matt and Amy Runion officiating. Burial will be a private family ceremony in Red Wing. Please share a memory of Robyn at her online guestbook at www.hofffuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to The Landing MN, an organization dear to Robyn, or a charity of your choice. If giving to The Landing MN, donations can be made on their Facebook page or by check to 718 22nd St. NE, Rochester, MN, 55906 with checks payable to The Landing MN.