Posted online on March 18, 2026
Published in Daily Record
Parsippany, New Jersey


Stephen J. Robbins, 81, of Chester, New Jersey, passed away on March 12,
2026. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944 to Alex and Rose Robbins, Steve
served in the US Air Force, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University
of Maryland, and later earned an MBA from Seton Hall University. He worked
for American Cyanamid for a quarter of a century before retiring in 1995. In
1993, he played an integral role in the company’s acquisition of Shell
Petroleum’s agricultural chemical business, a deal that cost in excess of
$700 million and dramatically expanded Cyanamid’s European presence. In
1987, Steve and his wife Mary opened the Little Professor Book Center,
a bookstore located in Morris Plains, New Jersey. In 1989, their store won
the franchise’s top honor, Store of the Year.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Mary; his children, Lisa Schwartz
of Princeton, New Jersey; Michael Robbins of Freeport, Maine; and James
Robbins of San Francisco, California; as well as three grandchildren.

Services will be held Wednesday, March 25 at 10:30am at Resurrection Parish,
Randolph, NJ.