Colleen Robinette

Colleen Glisson Robinette, 86, made her transition early on April 23, 2020 after an extended illness. Colleen was the daughter of the late Remer and Elizabeth Glisson of Savannah, GA.

Colleen spent her childhood on Glisson’s Mill Pond in Evans Co. where her father had a grist mill and general store. It is here she gained her lifelong love of fishing and being near the water. After the pond and property became part of Ft. Stewart Military Reservation, her family moved to Daisy, then later to Savannah. Colleen graduated from Savannah High School in 1952.

Following graduation, she attended St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1955. In 1983, she received her nurse practitioner certification from Emory University. She had a long, successful nursing career working for pediatrician, Dr. Portman, the American Red Cross, Georgia Regional Hospital, and spent the last 12 years of her career as an OB/GYN nurse practitioner with the Chatham Co. Health Department. No matter the setting, Colleen focused on providing the best care for her patients. She was honored by the Georgia Nurses Association as the Georgia Nurse of the Year in 1999.

In retirement, Colleen worked for a few years as a docent at the Juliette Gordon Lowe Birthplace. She also developed a love for sculpting. She created two pieces that she donated to local hospitals. In 2007, she donated a large sculpture of mother and child, entitled “Circle of Love,” to the Mary Telfair Women’s Hospital at Candler Hospital in honor of the Sisters of Mercy who taught her how to be a nurse. Her second piece entitled, “The Journey,” chronicled a woman’s journey of survival and hope in dealing with breast cancer. This piece was gifted to the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute in 2011 in gratitude to the many physicians, nurses and healthcare providers who support their patients through the cancer journey. During her 13-year journey with breast cancer, Colleen never let cancer define who she was or limit what she wanted to do in life. While she loved her friends and family in Savannah, she spent the last five years in Decatur, GA to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law and her “greatest joy,” her grandson Rosser.

In addition to her parents, Colleen was preceded in death by her first husband of 23 years, Hugh Robinette. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Tara and Kevin Redd, and grandson, James Rosser Redd of Decatur, GA; her former husband, Mark Forehand of Savannah, GA; several loving nieces, nephews, cousins and countless friends. She will be dearly missed by many.

A private graveside service will be held at Honey Creek Woodlands at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA on April 28, 2020. The family graciously requests that donations in Colleen’s memory be sent to her church, Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, 1008 E. Henry St., Savannah, GA 31401.

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