Sheldon Arnold Rubin

Sheldon A. Rubin, the definition of a mensch, died at age 93 on August 29, 2023. As he joked so often, when the time came, he said, “Just carry me back to Ole Virginnie.” That’s where his burial plot is located, alongside his parents Benjamin and Dorothy Rubin, and next to his sister Muriel and her husband Arthur Cohen.

Shelly was the devoted husband of Ruth for an amazing 69 years of marriage. He’s the loving father of Mitch Rubin, Gail Rubin, Lee Rubin and Glen Rubin and their spouses, proud grandfather of Dianne Rubin-Anderson (spouse Geoffrey) and great-granddad of Max. He leaves many mourning relatives and bereft friends.

A proud native of Philadelphia, Shelly loved that city’s famous soft pretzels, kosher hot dogs, McRibbs, soups (especially minestrone), and his wife’s great cooking. He didn’t like chicken or fish – most definitely a meat and potatoes man.

After moving to Washington, D.C. as a teenager, he graduated from McKinley Technology High School in Northeast D.C. A long-time Redskins fan and season ticket holder, he never liked the name the Commanders. He graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in 1952 with a degree in business.

He served in the U.S. Naval Reserves from 1948 to 1962. One of the family’s favorite photos is of him in his leather bomber jacket posed in front of a lighthouse in Bermuda.

His early employment included the D.C. Public Library and Kay Jewelers. He relished his career with the U.S. Census Bureau over 25 years. He was very proud of his role incorporating computers in the counting of the population.

In the early 1970s, he brought home an early modem that was the size of a small suitcase. You put the phone receiver into the foam padding inside the box and dialed a special number to get that distinctive modem tone. He also worked five years with the Social Security Administration and one year with HEW, now known as Health and Human Services.

During and after retiring from his civil service career, Shelly found great success in real estate. He owned and managed houses and condos in the D.C. area, as well as in Florida and New Mexico. He and Ruth moved from Silver Spring, Maryland to Delray Beach, Florida. They bought a house in Albuquerque, New Mexico and spent the summers in the high and dry Southwest, close to their kids Mitch and Gail.

He was a Boy Scout troop leader and enjoyed taking camping trips with his family and the Boy Scouts. The family traveled with a pop-up Starcraft camper named Frodo. In later years, the family was treated to anniversary cruises to Alaska, Bermuda, the Mississippi River and the waterways of Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach.

He was a leader for the Mt. Vernon Lodge of the Knights of Pythias and the D.C. area Brotherhood Lodge of B’nai B’rith. The family were members of Shaare Tefila synagogue, where all the kids were bar/bat mitzvot and confirmed.

His great heart gave out after a long and loving life. He gracefully exited on hospice care at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton, Florida. Graveside funeral services will be held Friday, September 1 at 11:00 a.m. at King David Memorial Gardens, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA.