Eugene Weekly : Viewpoint : 8.6.09

P.S. I’m Dead
by Thomas Rubick

This is to let you know I died of brain cancer on July 19. Really. I was diagnosed in June, 2008, and have been having an interesting relationship (not one of those heroic battles) with it since. But finally the cancer won, and I died. And because cancers are incredibly stupid, so did it. (Note to scientists: Work on a smarter cancer with a broader understanding of the implications of its actions.)

Because I wrote this before I died, I don’t know the details, but I’m sure my death was inspiring, noble and loving. Or not. I really don’t know. Nor does it matter once you’re dead, I suspect.

I’m sorry to have left those who loved me so well my whole life: my wife Jeanne Maasch of Eugene; my sister Paulette Johnson of Ventura, California; my mother Patricia Craighead of Oxnard, California; and my truly wonderful children (Jade Rubick, Cody Rubick and Emilie Lamson) and delightful grandchildren (Tony, Sasha, Vivi and Tina), all of whom live in Portland. I love them beyond words and wish them the best. I also have a half-brother, Monte Rubick, in Lake Forest, California.

I was also blessed with beautiful and loving friends. More, I realized through this process, than I truly realized. In fact, there was much that I learned, and I feel blessed. I have had a wonderful life. I wish you the same.

In case it’s mandatory to include the facts: I was born to Patricia and Tony Rubick on March 16, 1948, in Long Beach, California. I received a BA from California State University in Long Beach and an MA from Kent State University. My first wife and the mother of my sons is Donna Sires in Portland. I married Jeanne Maasch in 1989. I lived in Eugene from 1977 to my death and was co-founder of Rubick & Funk Graphic Design. I taught as an adjunct at the UO for five years in the art department at LCC for 21. That’s about it.

 

A memorial service for Thomas Michael Rubick will be held at 3 pm Aug. 7, at the former Opus6ix Gallery, 22 W. 7th Ave., in Eugene.