Darin Spencer Ruebel

Darin is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Margot Cottingham Ruebel, and his children, Haley Elizabeth and Ian Spencer Ruebel. He also leaves behind his mother, Sandra Madge Hall Ruebel, and his two sisters: Sloane Ruebel Cathcart, her husband Ron and their three children Tori, Robert and Elise; Lolly Ruebel Landwehr, her husband Jeff and their two sons Spencer and Marshall. He is preceded in death by his father, Alfred Louis Ruebel, II, and both sets of his grandparents.

Darin was born on February 12, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. He went through the Highland Park school system in Dallas and graduated from Highland Park High School in 1982. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and then transferred to Southern Methodist University, where he graduated in 1986. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

He married his soulmate Margot Cottingham Ruebel in 1990 and welcomed 2 children, Haley in 1992 and Ian in 1995. Their marriage was a love story for the ages that never wavered a single day, and his two children were his greatest pride and joy. He was a devoted son, a wonderful and funny brother, a fiercely loyal friend, a perfect dad and the most adoring and committed husband.

He was a determined entrepreneur and pursued several different ventures. In 2001, he founded Viathon Hydrocarbons, Inc., an oil and gas company that he operated for 20 years.

He absolutely loved skiing, biking, and being outdoors, especially in his favorite place on Earth, Telluride, Colorado, where he lived from 2000 to 2006. You could always find him listening to music or playing his guitar. In his spare time, he was a collector of watches, a student of geology and chemistry, and a beautiful landscape photographer. He couldn’t resist a good steak, ice cream and most of all, a bag of potato chips.

Some words that have been shared by others to describe him are: devoted Christian, happy, helpful, carefree, incredibly positive, compassionate, funny, infectious laugh, fun-loving, almost a mythical figure, honest to a fault, footloose, always smiling, kind, outdoorsman, rare bright light you just wanted to be around, loud, lover of life, legions of friends, and unmistakable presence. And last, but not least, an old friend said, “the world was right whenever he showed up”.

He will be missed beyond words. Rest in peace Darin, we love you “more than all the peoples in the world”, and we will see you again on the other side.

There will be a celebration of his life this summer in Telluride, CO.

In lieu of flowers or food, donations may be made to the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern or to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.