With Love From Robin Williams’ Front Yard

It’s always the Fourth of July in Robin Williams’ front yard. Christmas, too. With a touch of Ravens Roost on the side.

“I love Severna Park!” said Williams, standing at a familiar site to commuters who travel along B&A Boulevard. “My neighbors are my best friends.”

Born in Baltimore, the woman with the famous actor’s name has lived in Severna Park for the past 12 years in a rambler she has transformed into a local landmark. Commuters toot horns and wave as they pass her famously decorated lawn festooned with American flags.

“My father and both my husbands were members of the U.S. military,” she said while waving back. “I’m a very patriotic person.”

Love of God and country are hallmarks of her life despite periods of intense trial. After her mother’s death in 1990, and her husband’s death in 1991, her oldest son Dexter was killed on the streets of Baltimore in 1992, the victim of a robbery.

“I want to bring people to God,” enthused the spritely 67-year-old. “I want to change something bad into something good. We’re going through dark times in our country right now. But I’m like my mother. I do missionary work.”

Cooking and delivering food to local charities including Woods Church and the Annapolis Lighthouse, Williams travels by bus. Signs and wonders tend to follow in her wake.

“I used to go the Emmaus Center in Glen Burnie where people were sleeping outside in tents,” she confided. “For a long time, I prayed for them and now they don’t sleep in tents anymore.”

In June, a loud crash was heard outside her front door just south of the community of Round Bay. In the middle of the night, a 21-year-old Mount St. Joseph High School graduate and Marine Corps private was killed in a car accident.

“The next day, I collected some broken branches and debris from where the accident happened,” Williams said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I keep these things in my yard surrounded by American flags. I pray for both of the boys in that crash. The one who died and the one who lived.”

Williams sees her front yard as a free speech zone. Whether it’s cheering for her country or celebrating her favorite sports team, nothing can stop her from expressing her opinion.

“My all-time favorite Ravens player is Joe Flacco!” she said, posing in front of the Super Bowl winning quarterback’s jersey hanging from a tree limb. “But I love the Orioles, too! I love hockey and volleyball.”

But “missionary work,” as she calls it, continues to be her primary focus. Whether it’s a hot meal delivered to a local church or a honk and a wave on the way to work, people looking for affirmation need to look no further than Robin Williams’ front yard.

“I pray constantly,” she said. “I put my trust in Jesus. And through these difficult times, I’m praying for Severna Park.”