Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mabel "Robbie" Mears

Robbie Mears & her husband Bill Mears were our dinner guests in Honiara in July 1974. At the time, although Andy & I greatly enjoyed their company, we had no idea of the interesting history of this amazing couple. This information became available at a much later date & is included to recognise their contribution. The following extract is from http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10655516

Mabel 'Robbie' Mears, 95, passed away Thursday, March 17, 2005. 

She was born on September 20, 1909 in Toronto, Canada to Wm. Frederick Arthur and Elizabeth Schiller Robertson. Robbie and her family immigrated to Florida, when she was three years old. 

After graduation from the Army School of Nursing at Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, DC, Robbie was inducted into the Army Nurse Corps. as a second lieutenant. 

She served at Strotsenberg and Sternberg Army Hospitals in Luzon, Philippines. 

She left the Army Nurse Corp in March, 1939 to marry George E.C. "Bill" Mears, a British subject, who came to the Philippines in 1935 as a civil engineer. 

The Mears with four other expatriates were held by the Japanese as POWs until the Japanese required the services of Bill Mears to reopen a sawmill operation for lumber production to repair bridges. 

In 1944, the Mears escaped to Australia by British submarine. Mrs. Mears rejoined the Army Nurse Corps and he joined the US Corps of Engineers. That same year she was assigned to General McArthur's headquarters in Australia. She was in McArthur's advance to Layte, and then returned to Manila. Her assignment in Manila was to escort and repatriate interned Navy nurses on their return to the United States. 

Robbie and Bill were reunited at the end of WWII and she remained in the US Army Nurse Corps until 1946. 

The Mears founded the Nasipit Lumber Company, Inc. in Manila. And later, headed the firm of Wood Industries Consultants. 

They lived in Malate Manila, Philippines. Upon Bill's death the late 80's, Robbie joined her family in Fort Pierce, Fl. 

Robbie received the bronze star for heroism, Asiatic-Pacific Theatre ribbon with 2 stars, the Philippine Liberation ribbon with one star, and the WWII Victory Medal. 

She was one of a group of nurses who were an advance medical group, for which, despite air raids and small arms fire, provided medical care for approximately 3,700 American and Allied civilians suffering from malnutrition and other maladies resulting from long internment. 

Robbie was an active member of First United Methodist Church, life member of the Pink Ladies and Senior Friends at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. 

She was godmother to thirty children and leaves many friends behind. She is preceded in death by her husband, George E.C. Mears, her sisters, Marian Mattson, Ollie Haberlandt, Lillian High, and Margaret Bartlett. 

She is survived by many nieces and nephews and their children who loved her dearly. 

Burial:
Arlington National Cemetery 
Arlington

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