Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death®, was recently saluted as a Remarkable Woman by the local CBS/FOX/CW stations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Remarkable Women is part of a nationwide Nexstar Media initiative to honor the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress and the quality of life.
Gail’s husband nominated her, writing in his essay, “My wife Gail Rubin is a Remarkable Woman in so many ways. She is a pioneering death educator, author, speaker, event coordinator, and Death Café host. She helps people talk about planning ahead for end-of-life issues using a light touch on what many consider a dark topic. During this coronavirus pandemic, with so much illness and death, she is making a difference by inspiring people to overcome their fears to plan ahead for our 100% mortality rate.”
Watch Gail Rubin’s interview:
- She’s a Certified Thanatologist, a person who studies and teaches about death, dying and bereavement. She teaches in a number of ways: in person, online, and on television and YouTube.
- TEDxABQ speaker in 2015 – Her talk, A Good Goodbye, inspires people to think about, talk about, and do something about our eventual guaranteed demise.
- Community involvement with Congregation Albert synagogue’s cemetery committee and the Chevrah Kaddisha, trained Jewish volunteers who wash and dress the deceased in the ritual manner for burial.
- She’s president of the nonprofit organization that supports Historic Fairview Cemetery. She’s leading efforts to make the cemetery an outdoor history museum and xeriscape garden. The cemetery is the final resting place of approximately 12,000 individuals who have impacted the development of Albuquerque and New Mexico, and she’s helping to tell their stories.
- Albuquerque Business First recognized her with their 2019 Women of Influence Award.
- She’s written three award-winning books on planning ahead for death: A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die; Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips; and Kicking the Bucket List: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.
- She was one of the first people to host a Death Café in the United States in 2012. The Death Café has since developed into a worldwide movement with 12,000 events in 74 countries to date.
- She’s also a pioneer of the Before I Die Festival movement in the United States. She held her first festival in 2017 in Albuquerque, grew it to multiple towns in New Mexico, and won a prestigious funeral industry award for the 2018 Before I Die New Mexico Festival. In 2020, she pivoted to offer the Festival as a pandemic-safe online experience.
Read more about Gail Rubin as a Remarkable Woman here.
About Nexstar’s Remarkable Women Award
KRQE Media Group is recognizing the great contributions women have made to our nation and local communities. Throughout Women’s History Month, KRQE Media Group is highlighting four local women who inspire, lead and forge the way for other women. It’s not just about one day or one month — it’s about what they do, day-in and day-out.
One woman will be named New Mexico’s Woman of the Year and win a $1,000 donation to her charity of choice. From the more than 100 local winners, one woman will be selected and named Nexstar Media Group’s Woman of the Year.