Rufus George Hubbard

NEWPORT NEWS - Rufus George Hubbard, 80, died on Oct. 21, 2009.
He was born and raised in South Hill, Va., the son of Rufus M. and Gilberta S. Hubbard. A graduate of Fork Union Military Academy, he attended Hampden-Sydney College for a year awaiting appointment to the Naval Academy from which he graduated in 1952. He was commissioned Ensign in the Line and ordered to USS TRATHEN DD 530 which saw war service off Korea during the war's final months. Honorably discharged for disability in December 1953, he started working for Newport News Shipbuilding in January 1954 as a Staff Trainee. He then spent four years in Engineering.
He served as a Shift Test Engineer during construction of USS ENTERPRISE CVN65, and once on the waterfront didn't want to leave, so he transferred to submarine work on the Machinery Division staff. He stayed there for seven years highlighted by sailing in USS VON STEUBEN as Guarantee Engineer. This period was the most satisfying to him at NNSY. George was transferred to administrative work, the peak of which was serving as Program Manager for construction of SSN 686 and 687. A re-organization sent him to Contracts where he served 15 years before retiring early as Senior Contracts Administrator in 1989. George became interested in selling Real Estate and sold residential for six years followed by commercial for five years.
For many years his hobby was Republican politics. Mainly interested in state and local activity, he served as First District Elector in 1976 and Newport News Chairman from 1983-1986. George was instrumental in Newport News having a Republican majority on City Council in the 1980s and Virginia being governed by a Republican Legislature starting in 1990s. He never ran for public office, but he helped several friends who did run with his brand of pragmatic politics. In recent years, he served on the Newport News Planning Commission. He was a Life Member of the U.S. Naval Institute and the Naval Academy Alumni Association. He also enjoyed the Mariners Museum and the James River Country Club and volunteering at the local airport. He was raised in a small church and returned in the 1990s to one, St. Matthew's Anglican Catholic, where he served as a Trustee after serving on the Vestry.
He is survived by Rita, his bride of 57 years, and their four children and seven grandchildren as follows, son, Mark and his wife, Judy Hubbard and their children, Justin and Cary; daughter, Leslie Pelzer and her children, Randolph and Katharine; son, Steven Hubbard and his wife, Kathy and their children Elizabeth and Grayson; son Paul and his wife, Kim, and their son, Jordan.
The family will receive friends on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Weymouth Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, at 11 a.m. at St. Matthews Anglican Catholic Church by the Rev. Joel Marable. Interment will follow in Peninsula Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Foodbank of Virginia Peninsula, 9912 Hosier St., Newport News, VA 23601.
Arrangements by Weymouth Funeral Home. View and post condolences on our online guestbook at dailypress.com/guestbooks.