Vennetta Spencer Robbins
Vennetta "Net"
Wes and Net Robbins
Together
Lorenzo Wesley Robbins
Wesley "Wes"

Lorenzo Wesley & Vennetta Spencer Robbins

A Family History  ·  Ogden, Utah  ·  1897 – 1991

Married June 20, 1923  —  Salt Lake City, Utah

Vennetta "Net" Spencer Robbins
Born: January 16, 1897 · Salt Lake City, Utah
Died: July 12, 1991 · Holladay, Utah
Age: 94 years
♥
MARRIED 1923
Lorenzo Wesley "Wes" Robbins
Born: December 5, 1899 · Oakley, Idaho
Died: November 21, 1973 · Salt Lake City, Utah
Age: 73 years
Their Story Timeline ▶ Listen Animations ↓ Downloads

Their Story

From irrigation homesteads in southern Idaho and millinery counters in Salt Lake City, to radio shops, music stores, and wartime civic leadership in Ogden — this is a working life, documented in city directories, census records, newspaper archives, and Vennetta's own handwritten recollections. Researched and compiled by Jan Robbins Long, February 2026.

▶ Read Their Story Online
1897 – 1922
Early Lives: Two Different Beginnings
Vennetta grows up in Salt Lake City, loses her mother young, and rises from inspector to cashier at The Paris Millinery. Wes comes of age on Idaho farms, attends East High, then enlists in the Marine Corps at 18.
1923 – 1929
Marriage, Enterprise & Radio
Married June 20, 1923. They move to Ogden, run a sweet shop, and pivot into radio — founding Robbins Radio & Supply Co., Inc., with Vennetta as Secretary-Treasurer. Their first two children arrive.
1929 – 1939
The Depression Years
The radio business closes as the Depression tightens. Wes joins Glen Bros Music as Department Manager. The family moves frequently and grows to four children. No record of relief — they endure through work.
1940 – 1945
War Years: Leadership at Home
Wes serves as American Legion Post Commander, Red Cross Vice-Chairman, Selective Service Board member, and Civilian Defense Training Officer. Vennetta leads the Ladies Auxiliary, serves as Relief Society secretary, and works at Hill Field.
1946 – 1947
After the War
A heart attack in 1946 signals a shift. The wartime pace eases. Wes stays active — Rotary secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Snow Basin promotion — but at a quieter register.
1948 – 1960
Montana, Return & the Music Years
They leave Ogden for Great Falls, Montana to open Robbins Music Company. It succeeds — but illness forces a return. Back with Glen Bros, Wes opens the Provo store. Vennetta works alongside him for a decade.
1960 – 1973
Final Years: Investment & Decline
Wes shifts from store management to investment work — Delger Corp, Bonneville Securities. Heart valve surgery at University Hospital extends his years, but he dies November 21, 1973.
1973 – 1991
Vennetta's Long Years
Eighteen years of independence. She writes her recollections in her nineties — direct, chronological, unflinching. Without her writing, much of this would be only directory entries and job titles. She dies July 12, 1991, at 94.

"Without her writing, much of this would be only directory entries and job titles. At age ninety-two, she wrote a condensed version of their life history. Her writing is direct and chronological. She moves through memory the same way she moved through life — steadily."

— Jan Robbins Long, February 2026

Key Moments

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1897
Vennetta born, Salt Lake City
1899
Wes born, Oakley, Idaho
1916
Vennetta at The Paris Millinery
1918
Wes enlists, USMC, Mare Island
1923
Married in Salt Lake City
1925
Robin Confectionery & Robbins Radio Co.
1929
Robbins Radio & Supply Co. Inc. incorporated
1931
Glen Bros Music, Dept Manager
1941
WWII — Wes: Legion Post Commander; Net: Hill Field
1946
Wes heart attack
1948
Robbins Music Co., Great Falls, MT
1952
Glen Bros Provo — Net works a decade
1969
Heart valve surgery, U of U Hospital
1973
Wes dies, age 73
1989
Net writes her history, age 92
1991
Vennetta dies, age 94

Listen: Their Story

From Log Cabins to Investment Banking

NotebookLM Audio Summary  ·  16 minutes
An AI-generated audio overview of the Wes and Vennetta narrative, produced via NotebookLM from the full family history document. Covers their early lives through final years — approximately 16 minutes.
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Photo Animations

MyHeritage animated photo videos and family footage.

Wesley 1
MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia animated photo of Lorenzo Wesley Robbins.
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Wesley 2
MyHeritage Live Memory animated photo of Wes Robbins.
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Vennetta Golfing
MyHeritage Live Memory of Vennetta on the golf course — a glimpse of her leisure years.
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Bud, Sharon & Renee
MyHeritage Live Memory video featuring the three eldest Robbins children.
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Explore More

Read Their Story
Eight narrative chapters from 1897 to 1991 — readable online, organized by era, with prev/next navigation throughout.
News and Homes Timeline
Year-by-year locations and newspaper articles — 117 home images and 281 clippings integrated in a single chronological flow from 1897 to 1991.
Photo Gallery
Family photographs spanning the 1920s through 1980s — portraits, family gatherings, the Glen Bros Music stores, golf, and the California trip of 1957.
Full Narrative (PDF)
56 pages — narrative, timeline, and appendices including the complete newspaper index, city directory records, census records, and photos of homes.