Dr. Richard Bailey Robins passed away at home in Virginia Beach, with his family at his side, on September 12, 2026, at the age of 90. Dick was born on May 21, 1936, in Norfolk, Virginia, the son of Helen Bailey Robins and Clinton Howard Robins.
He graduated from Maury High School before attending Randolph Macon College. From there, he graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in 1961 and completed a residency in general surgery at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, followed by a residency in Otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at the University of Virginia. He married Patsy Frasher of Waynesboro, Virginia, in 1961, his wife of 45 years.
He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 through 1968, where he was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Virginia was always home, and he returned in 1968 with his family, practiced medicine in Newport News for 39 years, and was very active in the community. As a physician, he was passionate about helping others and combined his medical professionalism with a gracious bedside manner. He loved the clinical practice of his medical specialty and was passionate about helping patients. He went on several medical mission trips to the Dominican Republic and was an active volunteer at the Lackey Health Clinic in retirement. He was deeply committed to education, serving as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and other teaching roles at the University of Virginia Medical School for over 40 years—an experience he described as one of the most rewarding aspects of his career. His character and professional excellence made him an inspiration and role model to many who knew him.
Dick grew up with his older brother, Howard, and a close group of friends in the Edgewater section of Norfolk. Dick loved being outdoors and enjoyed the beach, gardening, boating, fishing, and hunting waterfowl. Golf, however, remained a favorite pursuit. He notched his career-best rounds at the Old Course at St. Andrews and the Augusta National and loved the camaraderie and friendships that he made through the sport. He hunted waterfowl throughout the Americas and enjoyed watching many sunrises with friends and his son in fields, marshes, and duck blinds across many beautiful and remote places. He also loved spending time on the beach and the coast, making a lifetime of memories with family and friends at Sandbridge, Virginia; Beaufort, South Carolina; Cape May, New Jersey; and on trips to coastal New England. Close relationships with friends and family were always central to his travels and pastimes.
He married Goree Watson Dunlap in 2010, and they were married for 16 years until his passing. In 2020, Dick and Goree moved to Virginia Beach to be near his son, Rick, and his family, where they remained very close, and he presided over a highly productive garden that enhanced family dinners every week. He was committed to his Christian faith and was a member of Williamsburg Community Chapel for over 20 years before moving to the beach, where he was a regular attender at Galilee Episcopal Church and enjoyed the fellowship at the men’s prayer breakfast. Dick was widely loved and respected by his family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Patsy, and his brother, Howard. He is survived by his wife, Goree; his son, Rick (Ruth); and grandchildren, Evelyn and Tripp. He is also survived by stepchildren, Katie Johnston (Greg), Josh Dunlap (Charity), and Laurel Dunlap; and grandchildren, Alyssa, Ben, Julia, Emma, Savannah, Tim, Eli, Rowan, Isaac, Adrian, Naomi, and seven great-grandchildren.
A visitation will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, at Peninsula Funeral Home, 11144 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News.
A memorial service will be held at Galilee Episcopal Church, 3928 Pacific Avenue, Virginia Beach, on Friday, September 25, at 11 a.m. with a reception following. The memorial service will be livestreamed at www.galileechurch.net
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lackey Clinic, 1620 Old Williamsburg Road, Yorktown, VA 23690; lackeyclinic.org