Annie Rubens

Annie M. Rubens
Annie passed away surrounded by dozens of family and friends on 5/31/2018, as the result of a bike crash while training for the Ironman. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin and was proud to be an "east sider." She went to La Follette High School, earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin, and during her time in Montana exactly 20 years later earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Montana. She had a lifelong interest in teaching, learning, and mentoring. During her professional career, she owned her own professional photography business, worked for the state of Montana, and at the time of her death, was employed as Director of Communications at the Wisconsin Reinsurance Corporation.

The most important things in life to Annie were living her faith, loving her family, and celebrating the great gift of health. She had a terrific sense of humor and was known for her quick wit and playfulness. She was a triathlete for over a decade, and finished her first Ironman in 2016. Her other great passion was capturing the true spirit of people with photography, including the triathlon community, the Sun Prairie Core Skills Hockey community, and numerous friends and family. Though her time with us was cut way too short from our standpoint, it is true about Annie that she finished every race in her life, and finished well indeed.

She was preceded in death by her father Lee Rubens. She is survived by beloved spouse Deb Holland, mother Joan Rubens, sisters Mary (Don) Labno, Sue (J. Robinson) Rubens, and big brothers Peter Rubens, Mike (Teri) Rubens and Dan (Kari) Rubens. She treasured being an aunt to Michelle Labno, Trevin (Shannon) Labno, Brittany Labno, and Brianne (Jason) Lyons, and a great-aunt to Nathaniel Lyons. Her extended family was also very dear to her, whom she "loved a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck."

Annie's deepest wish for her family and friends is that they celebrate their health, the gift of life, the ability to love, and use the gifts they are blessed with to enrich the lives of others. While her loss is deeply felt and she is irreplaceable in all our lives, it is also vitally important to her that people honor her by how they live and carry on in her absence. She was also a firm believer in giving loved ones the gift of advance directives, and she would want to highlight that her story confirms the critical difference they make not just for the patient, but for their family and friends.

Annie and her family are being cared for by Cress in Sun Prairie. In accordance with her final wishes, she will be cremated. A celebration of her life will be held at 11am Friday June 8th at Sun Prairie United Methodist Church, followed by a light lunch gathering in the SPUMC Fellowship Hall. In honor of Annie, we encourage you to consider wearing your favorite sports jersey, especially if you are one of the multitude of triathlete or hockey athletes whose life was enriched by her encouragement, pictures, and support.



In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Annie's name to:

Dream Bikes
http://host.madison.com/lifestyles/dreambikes-more-than-just-a-store/article_7750a584-8b22-11e1-9334-001a4bcf887a.html

or

Tri 4 Schools- Bringing out the champion in every kid!
http://www.tri4schools.org/


Cress Funeral Home
1310 Emerald Terrace
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
608-837-9054