Jacqueline Ruth Rubins

Jacqueline (Jacque) Combs Rubins was born on September 28, 1924 in Allentown, Missouri to William Lowell and Juanita Combs. She graduated in 1942 from Maysville (MO) High School. Jacque was married to Joseph Johnson. They later divorced. She married Alfred Rubins and they also divorced. She had four children, Michael Johnson, West Lafayette, Indiana, Patricia Johnson Howey, West Point, Indiana, Nancy Cannon, Orlando, and Sally Noriega, Fort Lauderdale. An original Space Pioneer, she worked for Boeing, Bendix and NASA at Merritt Island Launch Annex at Cape Canaveral on the Gemini and Apollo Missions from 1962 to 1971. She called many of the Gemini and Apollo astronauts her good friends. Once the moon mission was complete, she moved to Key West. There, at age 51, she achieved her lifetime goal of earning her nursing degree from Florida Keys Community College. During her studies, she was honored as one of Who’s Who Among Students in American University and Colleges. She worked as a registered nurse until she was 83 years old and held nursing licenses in Florida, Missouri, Massachusetts, and the American Red Cross. Jacque always said the fun part of her career was as a ship nurse on various cruise lines. She worked on the Carnival, the Festival, and the Sea Escape out of Cape Canaveral. She lived in various places in Florida, Key West, Lantana, Miami, Orlando, and Winter Springs, but she called Brevard County her home. The Space Coast, Jetty Park, and the ocean held special places in her heart. She was a member of the Riverside Presbyterian Church in Cocoa Beach and sang in its choir. She was secretary of the Missile Range and Space Foundation and a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She wrote a column for the Maysville, Missouri newspaper for four years, and had several short stories and articles published in newspapers and magazines. She was also a published poet. Genealogy consumed her time for the last thirty years of her life and she was president of the Brevard County Genealogy Society in 2005. She was predeceased by two sisters, Julanne Howard and Kay Hubbard, one brother, Robert Combs, all of Missouri, and one great-grandson, Jordan Hicks. She is survived by one sister, Jan Jones, of Missouri, her son-in-law, Kevin Cannon, with whom she made her home from 2006-2013, nine grandchildren, Danny Webb, Michael, Stephen and Michelle Noriega, Jodie Hicks, Roger Davis, Kerry Davis, Tiffany Lorton, Sean Cannon, and seven great-grandchildren, Jimmy, Josh and Justin Hicks, Brandi and Craig Davis, Grace and William Lorton, and eight great-great grandchildren. In accordance with Jacque’s wishes, there will be no funeral. The family will notify friends when they will hold a short memorial service.

Jacqueline Ruth Rubins

September 28, 1924 - January 21, 2016