GUBBAY, Natalie A radiant light to her family, friends and community and leaves a legacy beyond her years. It is with profound sadness that we announce the tragic passing of Natalie Gubbay, age 26. She was taken from the world far too soon in Minneapolis, MN on the evening of October 23, in a senseless car accident caused by a reckless drunk driver. She was waiting at a stop light, coming home from a trivia night with friends. Born on March 18, 1998, Natalie brought a boundless energy to life, always carrying a sense of purpose, compassion and adventure. She was a radiant light to her family, friends and community and leaves a legacy beyond her years. Natalie was born in Denver, Colorado and spent her early years in Atlanta, Georgia, where her sister Olivia was born. The family moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts in 2004, where Natalie attended public schools, starting at Upham Elementary and graduating from Wellesley High in 2016, including a semester at the Maine Coast Semester School at Chewonki. Following high school, Natalie attended Colorado College, where she earned a degree in Mathematical Economics and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study labor economics in Argentina. From a young age, Natalie knew who she was and always cut her own path. Her academic abilities, compassion and sense of purpose and justice has left a deep impression on her friends, family and teachers alike. During her high school years, Natalie's favorite activity was caring for her community garden plot on Weston Rd. She drew meaning and importance from caring for her plot, tenderly watering her plants and cultivating and sharing her vegetable harvest. In all the places she later lived, she never failed to find a way to grow her own vegetables, no matter how small the space. She also found a passion for sports, hiking and biking. She co-founded Colorado College's spike ball club and loved to camp with her friends. By the time she left college, she had climbed several "fourteeners," hiked and explored all over the Northeast and Colorado, biked from Wyoming to California and road tripped across Canada. She was adventurous and she inspired that spirit within her friends and family. While serious about her goals, Natalie was also funny and at times even goofy while pursuing her passions. During the COVID years, Natalie worked in Washington, D.C., in the field of Education Policy and in 2022, she moved to Minneapolis to take a research position in the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute within the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. It was a perfect fit with her sense of justice and her strong desire to have an impact and change things for the better. She recently had the opportunity to co-author groundbreaking work on the economy. She joined colleagues from around the bank to advance the understanding of incomes of native areas. In Minneapolis, Natalie found a strong community and many friends through her activities. She rediscovered her childhood love for gymnastics and found great joy in re-conquering skills. She valued community and diversity and had an amazing ability to connect deeply with people from all walks of life and at all ages. Her friends know her as "the glue" that brought everyone together, whether in Wellesley, Colorado, D.C. or Minneapolis. In addition to her job at the Fed, she volunteered at a local homeless center and teaches English classes. In all that she did, she found meaning in the ways she could engage with and contribute to local community. Natalie had just completed her application for the prestigious National Science Foundation Doctoral Studies Scholarship, to investigate the impacts of policies empowering renters' collective action in Washington, D.C.'s deep urban transformations. She was on the verge of submitting her applications to pursue a PhD. She was about to truly soar when her life was taken from her and from the world. Natalie was part of a large extended family who loved her beyond measure. Her parents, Rachel and Keith; and her cherished sister, Olivia, who adored her and looked up to her in countless ways. On her mother's side, she had a beloved Australian extended family, where she spent many Christmases with her grandparents, Phil and Eleanor Hancock; her uncle Mark, aunt, Liz; and cousins, Alice and husband, Tom; and children Edie, Lucy and Heidi; George and wife, Minna; Arthur and fiancée, Lara; and Louise and husband, Karthi. Her uncle, Peter and aunt, Betty; and their family were also a large presence. On her father's side, she will be forever loved by uncle, Dave; aunt, Penny; grandma, Kate; and cousins, Daniella, Sophia and Ben, who she always looked forward to visiting. A Celebration of Natalie's Life will be held at 4:00 PM, on Saturday, November 2, at Wellesley Village Church, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, in her honor at
MADD.com Natalie was incredibly loved. She will be terribly, terribly missed, but her beautiful and brilliant smile and spirit will be with us forever. For online guestbook,
gfdoherty.com George F. Doherty & Sons Wellesley 781 235 4100
Published by Boston Globe from Oct. 29 to Oct. 30, 2024.
