Heather Shute Hubanks

OCTOBER 28, 1966 – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Heather Shute Hubanks left us on September 21, 2020 after a long and courageous struggle with ovarian cancer. Her family was with her when she passed. She was a one of a kind mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. She had an irresistible way of uplifting the people she knew well or had just met. Heather was cheerful, kind, funny, generous, brave, strong and adventurous. And she made fast friends of people she met at each stage of her life.

Heather grew up in Orinda, California and graduated from Miramonte High School in 1984. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a degree in Communications in 1988. After college, she took a trip around the world on a converted freighter with the Semester at Sea program. On the first leg of that journey the ship encountered a violent storm in the Bering Sea and came within one degree of capsizing. She made a tape of that experience as it was happening. It’s a good thing her parents did not know about this until well after the fact! After that adventure, she attended American University in Washington DC where she received a Master’s Degree in Intercultural & International Communications.

For several years after completing her education, Heather was a consultant in Washington DC working for various international telecommunication firms during which time she traveled to many countries. She had a goal of having been in more countries than she was years old. She managed to achieve that goal into her mid-40s when motherhood curtailed travel opportunities.

Her native state of California called to her and she returned to the Bay Area in 1996. She continued doing consulting work but more importantly, she met and married John in 2002. They lived in San Francisco for awhile but in 2003, they moved to the Monterey Peninsula when John got a job with a law firm there. First born Nathan arrived in 2004. His brother Ryan arrived in 2006. They all lived at their home in Pacific Grove. While John practiced law, Heather worked for the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce as their Director of Membership Services. She became a fixture going around town dealing with new and existing members and is beloved by all.

Heather’s enthusiasm for life affected everyone around her. She loved adventure and travel. She bungy jumped off a 300 foot bridge in New Zealand, jumped off a cliff paragliding and rode her mountain bike over a 9,000 foot pass in Wyoming with her Dad, just a few examples. She was an athlete. She ran cross country in high school and continued running her whole life. She played on a coed softball team in San Francisco. Her team was down three runs in the last half of the last inning. The boys on the opposing team yelled: “girl up, move in”. She hit a grand slam over their heads to win the game! Her family enjoyed international cruises and trips to Hawaii. She always enthusiastically enjoyed the family camaraderie and the chance to relax together.

Heather is survived by her husband, John Hubanks; sons, Nathan and Ryan; her sister, Kitt Shute Rowlings and her parents, Sharie and Clem Shute. The family requests that in lieu of flowers contributions in her honor be made to the Heather Shute Hubanks Memorial Fund at https://www.gofundme.com/f/vanhd-heather-shute-hubanks-memorial-fund, which will be used for Nathan’s and Ryan’s college education.