Rubin Rodriguez

Rubin Rodriguez Jr. passed away on November 16, 2023. Rubin survived numerous heart attacks, Stage 4 Tonsil Cancer, a quadruple bypass, and finally succumbed to Stage 4 Colon Cancer and lung disease. Rubin was born on July 20, 1960, to Froydis Johansen and Ruben Rodriguez Sr.

Rubin grew up in Rose Park, UT and Burbank, CA where he attended Burbank High School. His passions included competitive swimming, surfing, ultimate frisbee, and skateboarding. Rubin was an entrepreneur at heart. From a young age, he and his friends had various businesses during his time in California. Rubin enlisted as a Marine at 17 years old and served as a helicopter mechanic. He had several opportunities throughout his 30+ years in broadcasting to make friends and associates all over the country, with his favorite being Jackson Hole TV.

Rubin “Happy Pappy” exuded so much life and laughter. His love for his family and dogs made his days memorable. He loved everything that let him feel the wind on his face—whether it was on his skateboard, surfing, riding a motorcycle or a boat, or in his Jeep with the top off and the windows down. He loved being in the mountains, at the beach, or on road trips with his family. Rubin loved to fish and spent many days fishing in Lake Powell, Strawberry, or Big Bear. Rubin loved to ski in his youth with his uncles. He was an excellent pool player, playing in leagues for years that lead to him bringing home a few too many trophies. Rubin had a love for rock ‘n’ roll music and watching football or NASCAR. You could often hear him singing around the house or in the car to Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, or Jimmy Buffet. He loved to listen to music too loud, so he could sing even louder. He was a wannabe chef, an amateur movie critic, and a natural comedian. Rubin loved to make people laugh—nothing brought him more joy than to laugh with others, especially his children. His laugh was loud and contagious and often times made any joke funnier with how hard he made himself laugh. He coined the name “Happy Pappy” because he wanted to be known for being a source of happiness.

Though Rubin battled many health problems in the last several years of his life, his family and close friends made his days worth living. He had many times that he defied the odds to see another day. His absence has been felt by those who knew and loved him.

Rubin is preceded in death by his mother Froydis, sister Vivian Smith, his beloved grandparents, and many other loved ones and dear dogs. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, his father, Ruben, and children Olivia (Casey) Creager, Jordan Wager, Rubin Rodriguez III, and Tristan Quinn Rodriguez, along with his 6 grandchildren and sisters Rita and Sonja and several nieces and nephews, whom he loved dearly.

A viewing will be held Friday, November 24th from 6 PM-8 PM at Russon Mortuary, 1941 North Main Street Farmington, UT. The funeral will be held Saturday, November 25th at 10 AM at Russon Mortuary in Farmington. An additional viewing will take place prior to the service on Saturday morning from 9 AM to 9:45 AM.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes prior to the service and will be posted below.

Rubin was passionate about bringing awareness to the hardship that fighting cancer can cause. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association.

You can donate directly here:

American Heart Association: https://shorturl.at/uvANP

American Cancer Society: https://shorturl.at/ntwF7