Funeral Details

Michelle Rubovits nee Trop, age 86.
Michelle died peacefully after a long and particularly challenging thyroid cancer. Despite the diagnosis and multiple treatments, she remained strong and focused on getting better until the last few months. Michelle Trop was born in Orlienas, France on June 2nd, 1938. Along with her mother and brother, she survived WWII hiding on a Catholic family’s farm outside of their small town while her father fought in the French resistance. After the war, Michelle and her immediate family returned to their own house for a few years. In 1950, after her younger sister was born, the family was sponsored by relatives and immigrated to Rock Island, Illinois. There, her parents went to work and Michelle and her siblings went to school. Michelle learned English quickly and almost as quickly met her future husband, Charles Rubovits in Hebrew School.
After graduating from high school, Michelle attended the University of Illinois and then left school to marry Chuck in 1959. They started married life in El Paso Texas where Chuck served in the US Army. After discharge, they moved back to Rock Island and started a family – raising two boys, David and Robert. Michelle loved Rock Island and the entire Quad City area, especially the small but vibrant Jewish community. She was active in all things-synagogue – sisterhood, Hadasah, teaching Sunday School, being a day camp counselor, Israeli dancing along with observing Shabbat and holidays.
Professionally, Michelle worked as a copywriter, bank branch manager and librarian. She cherished her work along with her co-workers and customers. She worked hard and loved to contribute to the community as well as her family. She thrived on working hard and providing excellent customer service to whomever walked in. Strangers were soon friends. Regulars were close friends.
She managed and raised her sons with love, affection and certainty. She was certain of what they needed to do to be successful and saw to it that they understood that as well. She adored her husband of 65 years – supporting and occasionally cajoling him in his retail career and later as a pulpit rabbi. It was as a rebbetzin that Michelle brought all of her skills and passions together. She loved that role and it loved her.
Not surprisingly, it was her family, close and extended, that was always her focus. Her daughters – not daughters-in-law – held equal standing as her sons, only surpassed by her grandchildren. She loved and embraced aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins from near and far. And she loved her many friends – new and life-long.
Michelle thrived as a new immigrant to the United States and throughout her life. She was a superlative positive force for her many friends and family. She will be missed and her memory will forever be blessing. Michelle is survived by her husband, Rabbi Charles Rubovits; children Drs. David and Judy Rubovits, Robert and Julie Rubovits; grandchildren Sara Brinna, Yaakov Yitzchak, Kyle and Eve Rubovits; brother and sister-in-law Charles and Carol Tropp. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish United Fund, 30 S. Wells Street, Chicago, IL 60606 www.juf.org. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals-Skokie Chapel, 847-229-8822 www.cjfinfo.com