Obituary of Joseph Francis Rubacky, Jr.

Rubacky, Joseph Francis Jr., of Wyckoff, NJ, age 90, passed away December 16, 2015 surrounded by his family. Beloved husband of the late Grace Mary (1997), he is survived by his children Dr. Joseph Rubacky III and his wife Jill of Dover, DE, Paul Rubacky and his wife Gwen of Ringwood, NJ, Peter Rubacky and his wife Leslie of Wyckoff, NJ, Mary Rubacky D’Altrui and her husband Eugene of Whippany, NJ, Ellen Rubacky Fennie and her husband Gary of Greensboro, NC, Elizabeth Rubacky Kennedy and her husband Thomas of Midland Park, NJ, Kathleen Rubacky Donovan and her husband John of Montague, NJ and Timothy Rubacky. Also surviving are his 15 grandchildren, Christopher Rubacky, Allison Kahn, Melissa Rubacky, Sarah Rubacky, Emma Rubacky, Heather Rubacky, Michael Rubacky, Victoria Rubacky, Elizabeth Rubacky, Katie Rubacky, Megan Rubacky, Kelsey Rubacky, Thomas Rubacky, Ryan Rubacky, Patricia Rubacky and great-granddaughter Natalie. Joe also leaves his brother, Dr. Gerald and his wife Marge Rubacky of West Orange, NJ and his sister, Ellen Rubacky Tobin of Bay Head, NJ. A decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps in World War II, he graduated from Georgetown University and Georgetown Law. A devoted servant of the Catholic Church, he was a founding member of the Most Blessed Sacrament parish in Franklin Lakes and in his later years was a member of St. Elizabeth’s parish in Wyckoff and Church of the Nativity in Midland Park. He was also a passionate advocate of children’s educational rights and served on the Board of Education for the Ramapo-Indian Hills School district for more than a decade and rose to national notoriety for his impassioned fight for the rights of educationally challenged and learning-disabled children. He was a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars and was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Visiting, Friday 2-4 and 7-9 at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, www.vpfh.com, 257 Godwin Ave. Wyckoff, NJ. Funeral Mass Saturday, 10 am from Most Blessed Sacrament RC Church, 787 Franklin Lakes Rd, Franklin Lakes, NJ. Interment Christ the King Cemetery, Franklin Lakes, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The NJ Veterans Memorial Home, 1 Veterans Drive, Paramus, NJ. 07652