Kubie, Susie

Susie Kubie, 72, passed away in Albuquerque on January 6, 2017.

She lived in Albuquerque for 66 years, attended

Zia Elementary School and Jefferson Junior High School, and graduated from Highland High School in 1962. Susie went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Her kind-hearted nature and compassion for others guided her 32-year career. After receiving her Masters Degree in Counseling, Guidance and Special Education from the University of New Mexico, she worked as a special education teacher at Rio Grande High School, and then as a counselor at Harrison Middle School for five years and at Jefferson Middle School for 25 years. She was deeply touched by the lives of her many students and made a significant, lasting impression on the countless children who passed through her schools during her tenure.

In 2005, Susie joined her brother and sister-in-law working part-time as a bookkeeper at the family business, Kurt’s Camera Corral, until it closed last year. She was quite an asset and was like a ray of sunshine everyday she was there.

Susie had a joy for life. She loved to laugh. She loved her family and her many friends. She thought of everyone else before she thought of herself. She was selfless, generous, gentle, productive and mindful of others and the environment.

Susie was supportive of Hadassah and volunteered for ORT and the Albuquerque Assistance League. She was an enthusiastic member of the Congregation B’nai Israel Choir whom we are so grateful to for coming to sing during her final days in hospice. The love and support from them and all of Susie’s friends was greatly felt and appreciated by her family. After her father, Kurt, died in 2001, she was a constant companion to her mother, Edith. She was a devoted and loving daughter. They would go to the Symphony and travel the world together. Like her mother, Susie was adept at knitting and crocheting. She would stay busy making afghans, scarves and gifts for friends and babies. She even donated hats and booties for preemies at a local hospital.

Susie was athletic and enjoyed the great outdoors. She loved nature and the spiritual beauty of New Mexico. Being a Kubie meant that she was bound to ski. She surpassed everyone in her family by becoming the most elegant skier. She was also a member of the Sandia Peak Ski Patrol.

Susie, along with her husband, was a member of of the Albuquerque Tennis Club. Not only was she passionate about tennis, but she valued and enjoyed being with all of her tennis friends.

Even in her final days, Susie expressed that she had no regrets and had lived life to the fullest and had no bucket list. Even at the end, Susie was comforting others letting them know that she was at peace with death.

A beloved wife, sister, aunt, stepmother and friend, Susie is the daughter of the late Kurt and Edith Kubie, and is survived by her husband of 23 years, Arnie Melnikoff; her brother, Jim Kubie, and his wife, Liz Kubie; her nephew, Jacob Kubie; and her stepchildren, Micah Melnikoff and Tara Melnikoff Paulsen.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra, The Albuquerque Museum, Hadassah or a charity of your choice.

Graveside service will be held at Fairview Memorial Park Cemetery, 700 Yale Blvd SE, on Monday, January 9 at 2:00 pm.