Helene Shonbrun Dubbin

Helene Shonbrun Dubbin, 93, passed away Friday evening, November 29th. She lived a remarkable life as a devoted spouse, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and a leader in the educational, cultural, and Jewish communities. Helene was known by everyone for her elegance, sweet soul and smile, twinkle in her eyes, and kind and warm heart. Helene was born in Tampa, Florida in 1931, where her parents, Chana Haliczer Shonbrun, a brilliant linguist and schoolteacher who spoke seven languages, and her father Sam (Sigfried) Shonbrun, a businessman, settled after emigrating from Poland in 1928.

Helene graduated from Plant High School. She attended the University of Alabama for one year and transferred to the University of Florida. At Florida, Helene was introduced to the love of her life, Murray Dubbin of Miami, by her brother Herman Shonbrun, who was Murray’s fraternity brother. Helene and Murray were married in 1951 after her sophomore year, and they moved to Miami where Murray started his law practice that continued until 2007. While being a fantastic mother to four sons, Helene finished her bachelors degree at FIU in social work in 1972. Helene and Murray’s deep and enduring love for each other was inspirational, and they celebrated their 71st anniversary on July 1, 2022. Even after 71 years of marriage, they always held hands and kissed, whatever the occasion. They also had an infinite wellspring of love for their 10 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.

In 1963, when Murray was elected to the Florida House of Representatives Helene was tasked with setting up a home in Tallahassee every other year so the family could stay together during the bi-annual sessions. Helene was committed to her family and the community. She will always be remembered as a passionate advocate for people who needed a helping hand. She worked for great institutions such as Fellowship House and New World School of the Arts, and served as the President of the Patrons of the Museum of Science, the Theodore Gibson Foundation, and the Jewish Museum of Florida, over a 30 year span, with Murray’s and the family’s full support. In 1986, Helene and Murray joined with about 20 other Floridians in the Florida Jewish History “Mosaic” Project, which became the award-winning Jewish Museum of Florida (JMOF), now located in the historic Beth Jacob synagogue on Washington Avenue in South Miami Beach. Helene served as President of the Museum for two terms in the early 2000s, and Murray was the founding Treasurer. They also served in several other offices over the years, including through the museum’s merger with FIU, until a few years ago.

Murray passed away in October of 2022 at the age of 93, and they will now be reunited again. Helene is survived by her sons Cliff (Ann), Sam (Lori), David (Susan), and Eric (Susan). She was the cherished “Grandma Helene” to ten grandchildren Adam, Stephanie (Brett), Rob (Sandy), Jeff (Marta), Andy, Greg (Jen), Karen (Reed), Kellianne, Ricky (Carli), and Justin (Madison), and 8 great-grandchildren. Helene is also survived by sister-in-laws Bonnie Askowitz, Robin Yablonsky, and Virginia Cantarella. Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, December 8th, at 2:00 PM at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N Kendall Dr, Pinecrest, FL 33156, with Shiva following the service at Beth Am. The service can be live-streamed on the temple website at https://tbam.livecontrol.tv/96310d27 .

Donations in Helene’s honor would be welcome to her favorite causes: the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU https://jmof.fiu.edu/, and the Theodore Gibson Memorial fund - https://gibsonmemorialfund.org.