Retired professional dancer with a kind and generous heart

LYNNFIELD — Robin J. (Adair) Mandile, 81, passed away peacefully on Nov. 6, 2022 surrounded by loved ones after a long illness.

Robin was the beloved wife of 51 years of the late Thomas Michael Mandile Jr. Robin is survived by those whom she considered her greatest gifts: Her son Robert (Bob) Mandile and his wife, Jennifer, of Lynnfield; her son Tom Mandile and his wife, Brenda, of Winchester; her sister-in-law Maryanne and her husband, Robert, Mazaka of Wilmington; her niece Kimberly Angeli of Salt Lake City, Utah; and her five grandchildren who were her pride and joy: Christine, Ann Marie, Irene, William and Ryan.

Robin and her late twin brother “Butch” were born on March 28, 1941 to their beloved parents, Bob and Emma (Marino) Adair. Robin grew up in Malden and graduated from Malden High School. Her family was well known in Malden for the Robin Adair Diesel Engineering Business, located on Broadway since 1921.

Robin began her dance career in the Malden Studio of E. Virginia Williams; Robin’s teacher, mentor, friend and founder of the Boston Ballet.

Robin’s love of ballet and the arts was a cornerstone of her life. Robin was a former soloist with three major ballet companies, including the Boston Ballet. She danced through Europe with the American Festival Ballet, and the Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo in New York. Robin has also performed at Radio City Music Hall on Broadway, and at the White House for the Apollo 8 astronauts. Her most favorite role was that of the Sugar Plumb Fairy in the Boston Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker.

Robin retired from professional dance in 1970 to take on two of her most cherished roles: Mother and teacher. While raising her two young sons, “Miss” Robin opened her own dance studio: The Robin Adair Studio of Dance in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Robin went on to teach ballet in Manchester, Gloucester and Lynnfield for 40 plus years. Every year, she would take her students to see a performance of the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker. Robin’s love of dance, coupled with her kind and generous nature, enriched the lives of countless children over the years. She will be greatly missed.

Her funeral Mass will be celebrated in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, corner of Grove and Salem St., Lynnfield, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 at 10 a.m. Visitation for relatives and friends will be at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Sunday, Nov. 13, from 1-4 p.m. Interment will take place at Puritan Lawn Memorial Park in Peabody.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to the Boston Ballet (bostonballet.org).