Obituary: Inge Marx Robbins

Inge Marx Robbins died peacefully at home with her two devoted daughters by her side on July 23, 2023. Inge was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on Jan. 16, 1929. She narrowly escaped from Nazi Germany with her parents and younger brother, Albert, on Nov. 2, 1938, one week before Kristallnacht.

Leaving behind her beloved grandparents and many other close family members who perished in the Holocaust, the Marx family settled in Little Rock, Ark, where Inge quickly learned English and began her pattern of excelling in school. She took her first solo train trip to La Plume, Penn., where she attended Keystone Jr. College as one of the only southerners enrolled. She embraced college and a lifelong passion for learning. She was popular, joined many clubs, and enjoyed playing bridge and knitting intricate argyle socks in her spare time.

After earning her degree, Inge joined her family in Atlanta, where her father continued his career in the paper business. She rode a streetcar daily to Sears, Roebuck and Co. located in what is now Ponce City Market, where she was the secretary for a senior executive.

In 1957, she met the charming and handsome George Daniel Robbins, who soon would become her beloved husband of 51 years and a day. They named their first home at the E. Wesley Apartments, “The Robbins Nest,” and soon after built a house on Canterbury Road near Lenox Square, where they started their family. Inge and George were charter members of Temple Sinai, where she devoted countless hours to volunteering and attended weekly study groups for decades.

A season ticket holder to the Atlanta Symphony for 40 years, Inge enjoyed classical music, traveling around the world, and working at Piedmont National Corp., the family business founded by her father, Hugh Marx, in 1950. Most of all, Inge loved her family and was a tireless supporter of her children and grandchildren’s endeavors and achievements, always marking special occasions with a family dinner or lunch at the Swan Coach House.

A walking encyclopedia, Inge knew something about everything. She held herself and others to a high standard. She was warm, witty, smart as hell, and a joy to be around. Proper, coifed and well put together yet never showy, she was the eternal optimist and always willing to help. Substance is what mattered, and she had loads of it.

Twenty years ago, Inge found in her attic a box of letters written in old German script on onion skin paper. These letters were sent from her grandparents in Germany to her parents in Little Rock between 1938 and 1942. They chronicled the unsuccessful attempts made by Inge’s parents to help them escape Nazi Germany by sponsoring them in America. Inge embarked on a meaningful project, and along with her brother, Albert, had the letters translated to English and created 10 volumes of books detailing the harrowing story as it unfolded. The large collection of original letters and accompanying photos and memorabilia was recently donated to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and is one of the most detailed collections of its kind.

Inge will be joining other loved ones who predeceased her, including her parents, Hugh and Paula Marx, and her husband, George Robbins. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Allison (Alli) and Mitch Allen and their children, Heather (Matt) Bernes, Amanda (Colin) Scott, and Jared; her daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and Nathan Wallace and their children, Miles and Cleo; her brother and sister-in-law, Albert and Jeanie Marx; her great-grandchildren, Jackson, Holden and Austin; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Following a private burial at Crest Lawn Memorial Park, a service honoring Inge’s life was held on Tuesday, July 25 at Temple Sinai (5645 Dupree Drive NW, Atlanta 30327).

Memorial contributions may be made to the George and Inge Robbins Cultural Enrichment Fund at Temple Sinai, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, or a charity of your choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

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