in memory of doug kubik

Doug, my beloved husband, best friend, partner in crime, or as I simply called him: ‘Babe,’ took his last breath in my arms on June 14, 2022. He suffered a sudden medical emergency shortly after arriving in Montana for our oldest daughter’s wedding. I am heartbroken. But I am also grateful to be surrounded by loving family here. To those that are farther away geographically, be assured that I feel all of the immense love and support.

To those who knew and loved him, I don’t have to tell you what a devastating and heartbreaking loss this is. The greatest comfort I am receiving right now is hearing stories and memories of him, and so I ask of you, please take the next few days to recollect any little bits that come to mind of how he touched you (inset Doug laugh here) or made an impact in your life. Or hell, just the dumb things he did or said that made you laugh. Silly or sweet, heartfelt or twisted- I love hearing it all.  You can share here on the Guestbook page, or send to me privately.

That being said, I feel compelled to share with you a short story of my own and to explain why I do not want his early death to be viewed as purely tragic. Here’s why…

One Friday, just about a year ago, after a prolonged period of serious work and life and covid burnout reached an all time high, he suddenly turned to me out of the blue. With an almost mischievous glimmer in those bright blue eyes, he said “OK- hear me out: what do you say we quit our jobs, sell our house and all our stuff, pay off all our debt and travel across the country?” 

I said yes. With zero hesitation, partly because I am as equally crazy as him, but more because of that glimmer, that spark- I wanted that for him more than any superficial thing that I might want to ‘hold’ onto, so instead I held onto him with complete trust.

Because we followed that glimmer, we got to have the most amazing time of our lives this last year. His enthusiasm and excitement was only matched with deep satisfaction, contentment and peace. Every single day we spent in that tiny trailer, we found ourselves loving our lives and each other more and more. Not a day would go by without him saying, “Babe, we are so lucky. Thank you for doing this with me. Thank you for trusting me. I love our life.”  

It is so easy to say, “Oh, if only we had 10 or 20 more years!!” But let me tell you: 1000 years with this man would not have been enough.  And the true tragedy would be if this happened to the Doug from a year or two ago. Or if I hadn’t said yes. Or if we had come to our senses that Friday and put it off or talked ourselves out of it (there were so many reasons not to do it! It was crazy!). But instead, we held hands and jumped in with both feet, just like we did at Pinecrest Lake after saying our vows so many years ago. Without knowing what lay ahead of us, we chose to live each day as if it were our last. What tremendous gratitude I am left with. What a gift he gave me. There is so much grief, yes, but there is also light. I truly feel and know in my heart- and I know that Doug would too- that he left this earth feeling fully fulfilled, at peace, in love, and loved.

Please join me in remembering and celebrating his life and legacy. Neither one of us loved social media, so I would much rather receive a message or phone call if you would like to reach out. 

I envision this space to be a living memorial, where you can add your remembrances, and I can continue to share the story and pictures of our last year together. The magic we shared sustains me. 

In gratitude,

Stacey Kubik

You’re invited to share stories and memories of Doug on our Guestbook here, as a living memorial.

Join me in creating a collaborative playlist in honor of Doug. Add your song contributions by clicking here (Currently, Spotify only offers this on their mobile app, not their desktop app).