First time poster here. I ran across this thread while searching for word of Robin, who was a friend of mine. After all these years, I'm still haunted by this, as I know many of my classmates were also. It's comforting to know that she's not completely forgotten.
Yes, Robin disappeared without a trace, and beyond those brief little newspaper mentions, it wasn't really ever mentioned again, and it didn't seem like anybody tried all that hard to find her. There were no flyers posted around as there had been when the girls in Marion went missing. No reward offered.
Very doubtful she tried to travel back east to visit relatives on her own. Her friends knew she had a turbulent relationship with her parents. Did she really run away, never to return? If she did, I pray she made it somewhere safe. It seems so unthinkable that she wouldn't have contacted anyone all these years. She had friends, loved ones, a very active life only she knew the extent of. Sisters and brothers that she adored.
Chances are she didn't make it much further than her own back yard, though not a sign of her was ever seen again. Her family seems to consider her dead. Closest thing she ever got to a public memorial (aside from the tree planted in her memory by the Class of '79) that I know of was a passing mention in her dad's obit when he died in 1998. It does state that she preceded him in death.
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Romolo I. Pettinato
Romolo I. Pettinato, 74, passed away Thursday, Sept. 24, 1998, at Brendan House after an extended illness.
He was born Aug. 21, 1924, at the family home in Whitefish, to Carmello and Raffeala Pettinato. Romolo's early years were spent in the Flathead Valley at Essex, where he attended elementary school. He often remarked that many of his teachers did not like children very much, but he was proud that he never received a "lickin'" in all his school days.
As a young man, Romolo enjoyed fishing, going to school dances and singing in the school choir. One of his vivid memories was presenting the Easter Cantata to a school assembly when 150 students walked out! Romolo graduated in 1942 from Flathead County High School.
In May 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he was assigned to the 13th Engineer Battalion Company C. He served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. During his training in Wyoming, he met Esther Schwartzkopf and they were married in 1945.
After being discharged in 1946, Romolo and Esther settled in Essex, where he was employed by the Great Northern Railroad as a machinist. Romolo became a locomotive fireman and brakeman and moved his family to Whitefish in 1960. He retired from the Burlington Northern in 1988 and remained in Whitefish until moving to Kalispell in 1994.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Esther; a daughter, Robin, who was declared missing in 1975; two brothers, Joseph and Bert; and one sister, Yolanda. Romolo was affectionately known as "Rom" or "Fat" to his friends and family, who liked to call him a Jack-of-all-trades. His children truly believed he could fix anything and tested this belief many times in various projects and generally maintaining many houses.
To his grandchildren, he gave his attention and time; he was never too busy to play a game of cards or go to the playground. Mostly, Romolo will be remembered by his children for the gift of his infinite patience and quiet wisdom. He was more than a father; he was a "dad," giving the gift of time as well as talent. Rom's philosophy of life was good food, good friends and solid family. This is the lasting legacy he has loving left his children.
--"The Daily Inter Lake"; Kalispell, MT; September 27, 1998
Full obit at:
http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.montana.counties.flathead/854/mb.ashx