This was taken a few days before I proposed to my now wife Sheridan. It was a special day. Sheridan and I spent the afternoon talking about horses and baseball and family with him. I think we brought him some fresh fruit, the Aqueduct Track horse racing papers, and even a bottle of beer! I don’t think he was able to enjoy the beer but loved the oranges.

Uncle Fuffy was one of the most important people in my life. His kindness, generosity and gentle nature were things I loved about him. But especially, the way he saw each of us in his family as special and unique was a miraculous thing to me.  He was so proud of my sister, cousins, and their children, Ari and Seth and my son.

I remember the Mr Peanut pencils and trips to Farrells Ice cream shop.  The excitement when he arrived from one of his excursions from New York in his latest mid 50’s American gas guzzlers.  It’s a feeling of great loss for me but that comes together with deep sense of gratitude for having him in my life.

Our Favorite Fuffieisms:

To the boys "You gotta get a real job, a government job" and
“Always follow the leader, and always listen to ya mom”

Frank's unwavering message on voicemail "Take care, I'll call again, bye bye"

Eating  dinner Uncle Frank would use his finger legs to walk over to our plates of food and ask: “excuse me is you gonna finish that?” and if the dinner was homemade "You can't get that in no restaurant"

Frank would order a sandwich and would ask if he could “get a side of bread with that” and make additional sandwiches

Frank Rubin was my great uncle. When he was 86 years old,  against my advice, traveled across three trains and walked about 10 blocks in the rain just to visit me on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I would have gladly gone to see him in Coney Island, but he was determined. 

No matter the distance or effort, he always insisted on sharing a meal with me. He lived and worked his entire life in New York, never letting anything stand in his way. 

Uncle Fuffie,

34 years was not long enough. I will always remember rubber bands, NYC train stories, and pocket watches. Most importantly, I will always remember you sharing 1-2 boxing and the stock market. There will always be a chair waiting for a good schluffy. 

To "happiness, health, and success" (quotations added for attribution). Thank you for these gifts. The world is less without you. 

It's time to enjoy some brisket, a basket of steak fries, find that chair, and celebrate your life.

Love, 
Seth

A gift from Uncle Fuffie from when I was about five years old that I’ve always had

Uncle Fuffie – Frank Rubin
Our “Greatest, Smartest, Strongest & Best” Uncle in the World; this was one of his favorite phrases he made relevant for his nieces and nephews whoever was the recipient and is a true and genuine description of who he was to us all. Our memories run deep with gratitude for his boundless devotion to his family and perpetually shared wisdoms.  We will always remember his advice and perspectives on horses, basketball or boxing and just about any sport, the lottery, exercise, car tires and batteries, the stock market, politics, religion, brushing our teeth and his skepticisms to keep us safe in this world. He was fighting to regain his health for Seth & Sheridan’s wedding and got to meet her beforehand.  A memory that gave him great joy. We will always remember his techniques for eating spaghetti freely or pancakes with french fries on top and his competitive nature during ping pong marathons with Tom and Ari among so many other memories. His humor, independence, opinions and judgments were steadfast as his dear Diana would share anecdotes of his daily commentaries. Dear Fuffie, rest peacefully. You served this Country and the City of New York with honor and your family with unfaltering generosity. While you grew up without a father, you gave us your fatherly insights and care which we will always treasure. 
Love, the Thomas and Andrea [Rubin] Spivack Family

OBITUARY

Frank Rubin

Passed away on 6 NOVEMBER, 2024

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