'Mom To Everyone': Family Honors Mom's Devotion To Orland Food Pantry
ORLAND TOWNSHIP, IL — A beloved mother of four and devoted leader of a vital Orland Township resource is being remembered for her deep devotion and boundless enthusiasm for helping others.
Longtime Orland Township Food And Pet Pantry Coordinator Robin Kassis, 60, died Aug. 18, after a five-year battle with triple negative breast cancer. Her daughter Taylor described her as an unstoppable force of nature, undaunted even by her diagnosis and the fight that followed. Kassis flourished in her role with the Township, even as her health battle raged on.
“My family and I would say cancer is a full-time job,” Taylor Kassis said. “In addition to putting her whole heart in her job—she managed to do her full-time job and fight for her life.
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“It was for my siblings, she wasn’t afraid of dying, she wanted us to have a life with our mom.”
The list of Robin’s accomplishments in her 11 years with the Township runs long. She flourished in her leadership of programs and services, including the Food Pantry, Holiday Programs, Pet-Palooza, food drives and daily assistance offered at Orland Township.
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The food pantry serves the communities of Orland Park, Tinley Park and Orland Hills, as well as unincoporated areas within those boundaries. A tribute by the Township tells of a dedicated employee who found fulfillment in helping others.
“Her tireless efforts provided nourishment, guidance and support to members and families in the community, demonstrating her wholehearted dedication to her work,” the Township shared on Patch. “On her sickest days, she would still coordinate to ensure she wouldn’t let anyone or the Food Pantry down.”
Taylor speaks her mother as a strong, attentive single mom of four who consistently showed up for children Taylor (26), Alexandra (28), Jonathan (23) and Leah (21). The family lived in Tinley Park, and the children attended Victor J. Andrew High School.
“My mom was the best Andrew High School parent,” Kassis said. “She always went straight to all our sporting events. She was just so present, even while juggling everything else she was doing.”
Before taking her job at Orland Township in 2013, Robin captained the boat at Empress Casino.
“She would drive and dock that boat,” Kassis said. “I love that about my mom—it shows how cool she could stay in high-stress situations.”
Her composure under pressure carried over into her role at the Township, where Robin was thrown into helping people in crisis. Having weathered trauma in their own family, Robin was capable of an empathy perhaps unattainable to others.
“She was so good at helping them,” Kassis said. “She was able to sympathize so much, because she went through so much. She loved them so much because she knew exactly what they were going through.
“She cared for them on a soul level.”
“She truly put her heart and soul into everything she did,” the Township shared on social media. “Robin continuously looked for ways to improve and add to our services year-round. She spent countless hours after work and on weekends, even if it was just to pick up a food donation or make sure a student was able to meet their community service hour requirement.”
Taylor can attest to that. She easily recalls her mother attending the Township’s holiday program, then rushing over to the Southwest Community Concert Band Christmas show. There, she’d say a few words, before gathering any donations and driving them back to the pantry.
“… Just things like that,” Kassis said. “All the behind the scenes work she did to make sure the clients of the food pantry would have the best Christmas they could.”
On weekends, she would drive to the Target fulfillment center to pick up pet food so that the pets could have food, too, Kassis said.
“Even on a Saturday, she would go and pick up the pet food so the pets could have food,” she stressed.
She also helped the pantry attain funding through numerous grants, allowing it to grow in size and help more people in times of need. Kassis wanted to emphasize her mother’s contributions in that way, as did the Township.
“Robin’s legacy of selflessness and determination will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her,” the Township shared on Patch. “Her dedication and commitment to serving the community have left a permanent mark on the hearts and lives of countless individuals.”
Her mother’s deep and inherent love of people fueled her work, and inspired her offspring.
“She loved people so much,” Kassis said. “She would always encourage them to find a church home, because she knew that that was the best way for their souls to be cared for.
“She was a mom to everyone.”
Visitation for Robin will be held Wednesday, Aug. 28, from 3 to 8 p.m., with a prayer service scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lawn Funeral Home, 17909 S. 94th Ave., in Tinley Park.
To honor Robin’s legacy, the Township asks for donations of non-perishable food items to the Orland Township Food & Pet Pantry, and encourages all to attend Pet-Palooza on Saturday, Sept. 21.
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