Robin Lynne Vestal

Robin Lynne Vestal, 61, of Savage, Maryland, passed away after a lengthy and valiant struggle with cancer on Sunday, April 12, 2026. She was born on September 3, 1964 to James and Annette Breiling in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Robin practiced a long career in health care: first as a nurse and later for over 20 years as a physician assistant at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where the cancer forced her to retire in 2024. She was devoted to providing veterans with the best healthcare and was a loyal advocate for their needs. She worked in GI, hospice, and rehab among others. Her second family was her cherished VA family.

Robin was devoted to her husband of over 30 years, to whom she was affectionately known as BeeBee, as well as her furbabies. Their family of Samoyeds and Great Pyrenees transformed their lives. Robin had a lifelong commitment to advocate for social justice issues, especially immigration, homelessness, and the brutal treatment of Palestinians. For years she would spend every Saturday morning at the MD Correctional Institution in Jessup providing practical counseling to detained non-citizens. Her advocacy touched and transformed many lives. She inspired countless people to see and practice love and kindness in place of hate and fear. Beyond her advocacy, she gave much of her own resources to the many charities she supported over the years.

Her other passions included reading of which she was a voracious reader of wide interests. Cooking gave her especially great joy. She was a pianist who never complained when her years long neuropathy from cancer treatment prevented her from continuing. She had a good eye for art. She was fond of supporting local artists directly. In her younger years she was an excellent photographer back in the days of darkrooms and manual cameras. She continued that in later years by sharing with many her paradise of flowers and trees and roaming white fluffies.

She was of strong Christian faith. For a period of time she was a regular attender of Seneca Valley Friends Preparative Meeting (Quaker) in Boyds, MD. She had been a member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond, VA, later of First Baptist Church in Laurel, MD. Finally, she became part of the parish of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Columbia, MD.

She is survived by her husband Ulysses Keith Vestal, her two surviving furkids, Buddha and Dharma, her parents Jim and Annette Breiling, sisters Bonnie Grimm and Linda Grunfeld, nieces Ely Grimm and Julia Grimm, and nephew Alan Grimm.

She was preceded in death by her son Alexander Julian Vestal.

A memorial service for family and friends will be scheduled for a later time. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the American Association for Cancer Research.