Samuel E. Rubin

Sam died peacefully on September 14, 2022, at the age of 84, after a hard-fought battle with cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. He was married to and preceded in death by his wife Gail and is survived by his sons Phil (Debbie) of Atlanta, GA, Jeff (Katye) and Mark (Andrea) of New Orleans; and six grandchildren, Alex (Jared) and Jenna, Eli and Seth (Lennox), and Rebecca and Jayden.

Born in 1938 in Chicago to Herbert and Bernice Rubin, the family eventually left Chicago and moved to Gulfport, FL, where Sam attended high school and began his love of golf and music, playing trumpet in the school band and working at a local driving range. After high school, he followed in his father’s footsteps and attended Northwestern for both undergrad – where he was a member of the marching band -- and for Medical School. It was during a Medical School rotation that he met Gail, who he was married to for more than 54 years.

After graduating, he was a Flight Surgeon and Captain in the U.S. Air Force, followed by two residencies at Duke and a fellowship at the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Philadelphia before moving to New Orleans to join the faculty of LSU Medical School as a psychiatric training professor. He remained on the LSU faculty until Hurricane Katrina and also spent 35 years in New Orleans in private practice as well as on the faculty at Tulane. His focus professionally through his retirement in 2018 was on Adult and Child Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis. Over the course of his career, he also held leadership positions with the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Institute, the Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies in Princeton, NJ, and the American Psychoanalytic Association.

After Katrina, Sam and Gail moved to Birmingham, where he joined the UAB faculty as a professor and clinician. After Gail’s death, Sam relocated back to New Orleans, the city he and Gail fell in love with as they fled the northern winters almost 50 years prior. Their life in New Orleans instilled a love of all things cultural, from art to music and of course, the food and the Saints. Among his passions were golf and playing the trumpet, piano and drums. In his last year, Sam was fortunate to attend the weddings of his oldest granddaughter and great-niece, both in New Orleans.

In addition to the above, Sam will be remembered for his even temperament, good spirits and thoughtfulness.

The family is grateful for the care he received from the loving staff of Poydras Home and Hospice Specialists of Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Poydras Home, 5354 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115 or Jewish Children’s Regional Service, PO Box 7368, Metairie, LA 70010.