Elaine Pauline Kubiak

Elaine Pauline Kubiak (Michaelis) May 16, 1945 - July 9, 2017. Elaine Kubiak, a Traverse City resident passed away suddenly early on Sunday morning after a brief illness. She was 72 years old. Elaine was born in Chicago, Illinois to Henry and Bernice Michaelis. She received her bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1967 from Roosevelt University and worked in various administrative roles early in her career in Chicago at advertising agencies, Baker and McKenzie Law Firm, and as a Division Sales Administrator at Maremont Corporation, a Fortune 500 NYSE company. Later in her career, she worked as a real estate agent in Ohio and southern Michigan, where she developed a keen expertise in real estate. Elaine enjoyed international travel and often regaled friends and family members with stories of her travels. Her favorite destinations she visited during her lifetime were London, England; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Rome and Florence, Italy; and Sydney, Australia. In addition to her love of travel, she also was an environmentalist and devoted animal rights enthusiast, steadfastly supporting various causes relating to the care and preservation all animals large and small. She was a skilled bargain shopper and frequently used that ability to generously shower family members, friends, and casual acquaintances with thoughtful gifts. In her youth, Elaine passed on an opportunity to move abroad, instead opting to return home, where she eventually met her husband Jon S. Kubiak. Elaine and Jon celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary earlier this year. In addition to living in Traverse City and various locations in the Chicago area, the couple also lived in Toledo, Ohio and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Elaine is survived by her husband Jon, her son Mark, and her soon-to-be daughter-in-law Jeanine. Elaine was preceded in death by her father Henry, her mother Bernice, and her sister Nancy. Services will be held at 3pm on Thursday July 13, 2017 at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home with a visitation held 1 hour prior. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Rd, Kanab, UT 84741 and The Elephant Sanctuary, 27 E Main St, Hohenwald, TN 38462.