Gregory Jay Rubey, 70

Gregory Jay Rubey, 70, of Stevens Point, passed away with his wife by his side, on Friday, February 9, 2024 after a two year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Greg was born on May 6, 1953, in Stevens Point, to the late Kenneth and Lila (née Parker) Rubey. He grew up in Plover, attending local schools and graduating from P.J. Jacobs High School in 1971.

Following high school he attended NorthCentral Technical College where he received an Associate Degree in Computer Programming. Greg met Jane Andrews at this time and they married on September 1, 1973. Greg and Jane spent a short time in Naperville, Ill., where they both worked at Bell Labs before moving back to Stevens Point where they would settle down and raise their three children, Meg, Kyle, and Shawn.

Greg also began a 35-year career at Sentry Insurance at this time, beginning as a computer programmer and retiring in 2013 as a manager in the information technology department. Even after retirement, Greg continued to have breakfast get togethers with some of his IT family from Sentry.

In his free time, Greg could always be found in the garage. He was always fixing up things for the kids to ride on in the backyard. From motorbikes and scooters to go-carts, six-wheelers and snowmobiles. His love for cars and trucks and things that go led him to open SnoBiz, selling snowmobiles and parts in 1991.

After working his day at Sentry, he would come home and head right to the shop where he would spend hours working on snowmobiles. He also became a member of the Polka Snoz Snowmobile Club, where he made many friends with the same interests he had.

SnoBiz closed in 1996, but Greg’s love for cars and trucks and things that go continued. He continued to buy, fix, and sell cars, trucks and tractors and take his old cars to car shows and swap meets up until the day he was no longer able to.

Greg wasn’t much of a traveler, but he did like to take short trips to the local casinos and eventually branched out taking multiple trips out west to check out the bigger casinos. He always joked that he liked to gamble while Jane shopped and he would end up being the pack mule hauling all her goodies back to the hotel.

Greg was a jokester, especially with the grandkids. He was always picking on them. This earned him the title of GrandPAW, given to him by his first grandchild who said that she would call him GrandPAW because he was naughty. And he was. Whether he was stealing cookies or dessert bars that Jane was baking in the kitchen before they were ready or holding one of the grandkids upside down by a leg, he was always messing with someone.

Greg is survived by his wife, Jane, daughter, Meg (Kyle) Lech, sons Kyle and Shawn, grandchildren Kasey Brooks, Tanner Brooks, Jarrett Lech, Kyra Lech and Evelyn Rubey, sisters, Roxanna (Gerald) Omernik and Kelly Hintz, brother, Douglas (Gertie) Rubey, brothers-in-law Roque Schneider, Scott (Bonnie) Andrews, and Kirk (Susan) Andrews.

Greg was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Lila Rubey, parents-in-law William and Louise Andrews, sister Vicki Schneider, and brother-in-law Earl Hintz.

The family would like to thank the staff at Whispering Pines Assisted Living Facility in Plover as well as Heartland Hospice for their comfort and compassion in caring for Greg during his final weeks.

A gathering for friends and family will take place on Friday, February 16, 2024 at the Shuda Funeral Home, 2400 Plover Rd., Plover, from noon to 3 p.m., with a short prayer service at 3.

Shuda Funeral Chapels is honored to be assisting the family.