Kenneth Lawrence Rubin
1950 - 2026
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Kenneth Lawrence Rubin October 6, 1950 - January 1, 2026
Ken Rubin was a kind, gentle and loving father, son, husband and brother. He marched to his own drummer, thought outside the box, questioned everything, and carried a deep sense of wonder—finding beauty in all kinds of music and in nature's many forms. Contemplative, curious, and a profound listener, he was tender and generous with his family and with all those he came in contact with.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, to Helen and Bud Rubin, he was the second of four children and the oldest son—arriving the day before his mother's birthday, what she called her "best birthday present." His Polish-Jewish immigrant grandparents, Anna and Max Blanker, lived upstairs, showering him with attention and delicious traditional food.
In 1956, the family moved to Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Ken attended Colfax Elementary and Taylor Allderdice High School, walking to school daily—even through deep snow—and proudly serving as a crossing guard with his white shoulder strap. Humid summers meant siblings cramming into the one air-conditioned room, beds pushed together, arguing over who might fall in the cracks between the mattresses.
He played clarinet, attended summer music camp in Wheeling, West Virginia—performing symphonies outdoors in the forest—and had a bar mitzvah at Hebrew Institute, with siblings providing an impromptu orchestra.
In 1966, amid the swinging '60s, the family moved to Palo Alto, California. Ken finished high school at Gunn, diving into the vibrant hippie scene and new adventures.
He studied psychology at UC Irvine, where he visited his nearby beloved grandmother Nanny Annie in LA. He then transferred to the California School of Professional Psychology, where he met his future wife Haila Silvertrees. At that the time the school was non-credentialed, which cost his student deferment from the Vietnam draft. A 4F medical deferment followed due to the discovery that Ken only had a single kidney, but his refusal to serve sparked a painful estrangement from his WWII Navy veteran father—the resolution of which, years later, modeled the deep bonding power of heartfelt reconciliation: after their healing, Ken and his father became very close and traveled together to several parts of the world.
Ken lived in Palo Alto, Novato, Cotati, and then moved his family north to Washington State in Edmonds, where he found his true calling by earning certification through night school to teach elementary school. In the Edmonds School District, he taught fifth- and sixth-grade looping classes filled with many first-generation immigrant students. His innovative approach emphasized collaboration over hierarchy, taught inquisitiveness and collective decision making, and generally prepared learners for the relationality of real life.
He shared his empowering teaching style through the Rethinking Schools organization, and took great pride in co-founding the Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference, which continues annually in the Pacific Northwest.
Ken moved to Seattle where he retired from teaching, and finally settled in Olympia to be near his sons and granddaughter. He moved in to his beloved "Lodge" with its stunning view of Henderson Inlet on Puget Sound. He played bass clarinet in the regional orchestra, endlessly explored his curiosities by reaching out to have discussions with people from all over the world, and provided for his family. In later years he slowed down and observed the changing foliage, the flows of the tides and bird migrations, always listening to music through his superb speakers while sipping his homemade coffee.
Ken passed peacefully at home in his Lodge from complications of his single congenital kidney, surrounded by loving family.
He is preceded in death by his parents Helen and Bud Rubin and his Uncle Ted, and is survived by his wife Haila Silvertrees; his sons Jesse Silvertrees and Ocean; as well as his siblings Jeri, Sandra and Mitch; his Aunt Bunny; cousins Marge, Steve, Sheri and Dave; and 7 nieces and nephews.
Ken was a beloved figure of his community whose love of beauty, creative ways of thinking, and unusual masculine tenderness will be remembered throughout the lives of those whose hearts he touched. Thoreau's words speak of Ken's spirit:
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
Donations in Ken's memory can be sent to: Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference; or Rethinking Schools Puget Sound Chapter.
Ken Rubin was a kind, gentle and loving father, son, husband and brother. He marched to his own drummer, thought outside the box, questioned everything, and carried a deep sense of wonder—finding beauty in all kinds of music and in nature's many forms. Contemplative, curious, and a profound listener, he was tender and generous with his family and with all those he came in contact with.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, to Helen and Bud Rubin, he was the second of four children and the oldest son—arriving the day before his mother's birthday, what she called her "best birthday present." His Polish-Jewish immigrant grandparents, Anna and Max Blanker, lived upstairs, showering him with attention and delicious traditional food.
In 1956, the family moved to Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Ken attended Colfax Elementary and Taylor Allderdice High School, walking to school daily—even through deep snow—and proudly serving as a crossing guard with his white shoulder strap. Humid summers meant siblings cramming into the one air-conditioned room, beds pushed together, arguing over who might fall in the cracks between the mattresses.
He played clarinet, attended summer music camp in Wheeling, West Virginia—performing symphonies outdoors in the forest—and had a bar mitzvah at Hebrew Institute, with siblings providing an impromptu orchestra.
In 1966, amid the swinging '60s, the family moved to Palo Alto, California. Ken finished high school at Gunn, diving into the vibrant hippie scene and new adventures.
He studied psychology at UC Irvine, where he visited his nearby beloved grandmother Nanny Annie in LA. He then transferred to the California School of Professional Psychology, where he met his future wife Haila Silvertrees. At that the time the school was non-credentialed, which cost his student deferment from the Vietnam draft. A 4F medical deferment followed due to the discovery that Ken only had a single kidney, but his refusal to serve sparked a painful estrangement from his WWII Navy veteran father—the resolution of which, years later, modeled the deep bonding power of heartfelt reconciliation: after their healing, Ken and his father became very close and traveled together to several parts of the world.
Ken lived in Palo Alto, Novato, Cotati, and then moved his family north to Washington State in Edmonds, where he found his true calling by earning certification through night school to teach elementary school. In the Edmonds School District, he taught fifth- and sixth-grade looping classes filled with many first-generation immigrant students. His innovative approach emphasized collaboration over hierarchy, taught inquisitiveness and collective decision making, and generally prepared learners for the relationality of real life.
He shared his empowering teaching style through the Rethinking Schools organization, and took great pride in co-founding the Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference, which continues annually in the Pacific Northwest.
Ken moved to Seattle where he retired from teaching, and finally settled in Olympia to be near his sons and granddaughter. He moved in to his beloved "Lodge" with its stunning view of Henderson Inlet on Puget Sound. He played bass clarinet in the regional orchestra, endlessly explored his curiosities by reaching out to have discussions with people from all over the world, and provided for his family. In later years he slowed down and observed the changing foliage, the flows of the tides and bird migrations, always listening to music through his superb speakers while sipping his homemade coffee.
Ken passed peacefully at home in his Lodge from complications of his single congenital kidney, surrounded by loving family.
He is preceded in death by his parents Helen and Bud Rubin and his Uncle Ted, and is survived by his wife Haila Silvertrees; his sons Jesse Silvertrees and Ocean; as well as his siblings Jeri, Sandra and Mitch; his Aunt Bunny; cousins Marge, Steve, Sheri and Dave; and 7 nieces and nephews.
Ken was a beloved figure of his community whose love of beauty, creative ways of thinking, and unusual masculine tenderness will be remembered throughout the lives of those whose hearts he touched. Thoreau's words speak of Ken's spirit:
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
Donations in Ken's memory can be sent to: Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference; or Rethinking Schools Puget Sound Chapter.
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