Robin Grim, Refused To Let Disability Diminish Her Life

She was never bitter about the car accident at age 15 that injured her spine and left her a paraplegic.

The auto crash changed the life of Robin Lee Grim, who until then was a tremendous athlete. She skied, ice-skated and rode horses.

For 24 years, Ms. Grim would awake each morning and remember the tragedy. She'd wonder why it happened and she'd get mad, but the anger would never linger.

"She refused to pout about it," said her older sister, Alexis Phelps of Seattle. "She had been dealt a tough card but it never turned her sour."

Ms. Grim was as enthusiastic about her job as a deputy prosecuting attorney as she was about socializing with a group of co-workers; reading; doing water aerobics and lifting weights at The Seattle Tennis Club; shopping and writing her first book, a romance novel.

When you first met her, you'd notice the cane she needed to walk with. Then, you'd quickly forget she had a disability. "She was an `upper.' She just charged ahead," said her father, Keith Grim of Seattle.

Family and friends remembered Ms. Grim yesterday at a memorial service at the McKay Chapel at Lakeside School, her alma mater. She died of a heart attack on Oct. 21 at her home in Madison Park. She was 39.

Ms. Grim was the third of four daughters born to Grim and his wife, Naomi. Even before the accident, it seemed she would inevitably veer toward a career helping others. As a child, she was always compassionate, spending time with children who needed her friendship more than someone to play with, recalled her sister.

After the accident that nearly killed her, doctors said she wouldn't be able to walk again. She proved them wrong. She diligently worked to regain some mobility, abandoning a wheelchair and learning to walk about two years later with a cane and leg braces until she replaced those with sturdy hiking boots that she'd hide by wearing long skirts.

At Lakeside, she even learned how to drive. She was also coxswain on the school crew team.

She was an independent woman who lived with her favorite companions - her cats. She doted on Cleo and then on Sammie, the scruffiest kitten she could find at the Humane Society.

"She just liked to help things that needed help," her father said.

After graduating with a degree in psychology from the University of Washington and with a law degree from the University of Puget Sound, she went to work in the Family Support Section of the King County Prosecutor's Office, eventually becoming a senior deputy prosecuting attorney. She worked there for more than 10 years.

The job challenged her intellectually. It allowed her to fight on behalf of women, especially single women, seeking financial support for their children. It gave her the co-workers who became some of her closest friends.

She was a good listener and able moderator, and others saw that. They tapped her to join the Madison Park Community Council when a debate surfaced over a proposed bicycle trail connecting UW to Madison Park. She served as president of the council in 1993.

She volunteered with the King County Victim's Advocacy Unit and she supported Planned Parenthood of Seattle, Northwest Harvest, Chicken Soup Brigade and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. She also remained loyal to Lakeside School, helping with events there.

She was successful because Lakeside administrators and students always encouraged her, her parents said.

Ms. Grim is also survived by her sisters Gwen Johnson of Woodway and Natalie Stephens of Seattle; three brothers-in-law; two nieces and three nephews.

Remembrances may be made to Lakeside School, 14050 First Ave. N.E., Seattle, WA 98125; Planned Parenthood of Seattle, Development Office, 2211 E. Madison, Seattle, WA 98112; or Northwest Harvest, P.O. Box 12272, Seattle, WA 98102.