Funeral service held for former Arkansas Congressman Tommy Robinson

BRINKLEY, Ark. – On Tuesday, friends and family came together to say their final goodbyes during former Congressman Tommy Robinson’s funeral.

Robinson died on Wednesday, July 10, following a short illness according to his obituary. He was 82 years old. His funeral was held at the Brinkley Convention Center on Tuesday, where many said he was like no other.

He was a well-known Arkansas figure, having served in the United States House representing the 2nd Arkansas district from 1985 to 1991.

Friends of the family like Casey and Sue Ellen Rankin remember Robinson as one of the most high-profile figures during the 1980s, gaining national attention for his ways of handling crime. Some of it was seen as controversial while others viewed him as a folk hero.

“I would like to remember him as the sheriff I grew up with,” Casey Rankin said. “He did it his way and his way might not have always been the right way but it’s the way he felt was best.”

“I knew him as a politician through the years, I knew he was hardcore on criminals and I liked that,” Sue Ellen Rankin said.

Robinson was elected Pulaski County sheriff in 1980 and he later went on to serve in Congress.

“I liked the way he was as a sheriff as a sheriff as a man who stood up for his own convictions and tried to do what was right for Arkansas,” Casey Rankin said.

“He was a standup guy, he believed something was right he was going to do it regardless of what people think,” Eric Holsing, a family friend, said.

Holsing said he met Robinson through Robinson’s children. He said he got to see another side of Robinson.

“I met Tommy through his son,” Holsing said. “He was super nice, he was a fun-loving person and he had a good heart,” Holsing said.

Robinson had six children, 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Many of the friends of the family say he will be missed.

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