Paul Ira Rubinfeld

Obituary for Paul Ira Rubinfeld (1949-2018)
We grieve the loss of Paul Ira Rubinfeld, who died on March 28, 2018 in Santa Fe, N.M. Paul practiced as an anesthesiologist at Christus St. Vincent Medical Center from 1985 until his retirement. Prior to that, he practiced internal medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah. Paul is survived by his son Nathan (of Santa Fe) and brother Daniel (of Berkeley, California). Paul was the son of William and Ann Rubinfeld, both deceased. He is also survived by Daniel’s wife Gail and their daughters Sarah (of Kenosha, Wisconsin) and Rachel (of Washington, D.C.), with whom he had a long and wonderful relationship. Paul was an avid hiker and an active member of several hiking groups in the Santa Fe area. His treks through the Himalayas years ago brought him fond memories. Paul was also as an avid skier, having served on the ski patrol at Brighton, Utah and having skied with the patrol at Ski Santa Fe as well. Paul was an enthusiastic supporter of music and the arts, in addition to actively supporting a variety of environmental organizations, including trail maintenance in the Santa Fe National Forrest.
Paul was born on February 25, 1949 and was raised in Millburn, New Jersey. He graduated from Millburn High School in 1967, lettering in Varsity Cross Country. He graduated with highest honors from Washington University in St. Louis in 1970, where he went on to obtain an M.D. in 1975. Paul was board certified in internal medicine at the University of Utah in 1978. He lived and worked in Salt Lake City until 1982, after which he attended the University of Michigan, where he received board certification in anesthesiology in 1985.
Paul moved to Santa Fe in 1985. He met his wife and mother of his son, Joyce Usher, in 1988 while working at St. Vincent’s. They remained close following their divorce, Joyce being a strong and constant source of support for Paul and his family until the end. Beginning in high school, Paul was an enthusiastic ham radio operator, and was deeply proud of the range of connections he made in that capacity, both at home and abroad. These connections led him on numerous trips overseas, most notably to Uganda where he offered voluntary medical service. Paul was an avid coin and stamp-collector, harboring a life-long passion for mystery novels.
A memorial celebration of Paul’s life is being planned for the Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 2:00pm at Kiva Chapel located at Rivera Family Funeral Home 417 East Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505. For those that wish to do so, donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Nature Conservancy (nature.org), the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (suwa.org), the Santa Fe Symphony (santafesymphony.org), or the Santa Fe Chamber Festival Endowment Foundation (santafechambermusicsociety.org).