Young mother dies of COVID

Ashley Robinson, a 2007 graduate of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School, died of COVID-19 on Sunday, October 10 at United Hospital in St. Paul. She was 32. She leaves behind three daughters, 12-year-old Annie, 10-year-old Bella, and 8-year-old Lexi.

Robinson’s long-time friend, Katie (Hering) Trier, has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise donations for the Robinson family.

“I just wanted to get something going to help the family... I can’t imagine what they are going through,” stated Trier, who was best friends with Robinson through high school. The two girls later shared an apartment in Mankato for a year and have stayed in contact ever since.

According to Trier, about a week ago, Robinson, who wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, posted on her Facebook page that she didn’t feel well and had a high fever.

“Two days later, she was hospitalized with low oxygen levels. She still had the fever and they couldn’t get her breathing under control, so they flew her to United in St. Paul where she was put on a ventilator,” she shared. “She video chatted with her girls, saying her goodbyes, before being airlifted. That was the last time they saw her... She couldn’t have any visitors.”

Robinson’s friends and family rallied around Robinson’s daughters, and her boyfriend of three years, Chris Schlie, and Schlie’s two young children, who also resided with Robinson in St. Clair.

According to Trier, Schlie and the children were diagnosed with COVID-19, and Chris, who is unvaccinated for COVID-19, was also hospitalized.

“Since all of this, both Ashley and Chris publicly posted they regretted their decision not to get vaccinated,” Trier stated.

After multiple days in the hospital, Robinson’s condition seemed to take a turn for the better, and on Sunday morning around 9 a.m., Trier received a ray of hope--a call informing her Robinson’s oxygen levels were improving.

Then, at 3 p.m. she received another call informing her Robinson had died.

“I was told her fever spiked and they just couldn’t control things... and she was gone,” Trier said. “It was a shock to us all. She had a fever, then six days later, she was gone.”

According to Trier, Robinson’s daughters are currently with relatives.

“Chris just got released from the hospital today (Monday). He was there for three days... He was in the hospital when Ashley passed away,” Trier stated. “Now, that he is home, I will be setting up a meal train for the family, too.”

Robinson worked full-time at...

To see more on this story pick up the October 14, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.