Rebekka Grubbs

Wash. Rebekka OGrady Sprouse Grubbs, 32, died at home on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014. The cause of her death was cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of bile duct cancer. Born Sept. 24, 1981, in Richmond, Va., to Catherine and Louis A. Sprouse, Rebekka attended Atlee High School and the University of Virginia, where she obtained a B.S. and M.S. degrees and later a Ph.D in biochemistry. Rebekka was quite smart, though she wouldnt admit it. She was unusually successful over the course of her biomedical research career, publishing papers in prominent journals frequently throughout graduate school and postdoctoral work. Following work at the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology and Cornell University, Rebekka chose to move into teaching and had obtained a faculty position at Gonzaga University. Rebekka was also quite an athlete, but she wouldnt admit this either. She ran marathons, participated in triathlons and completed a half ironman. She biked thousands of miles and completed weeklong bike tours in Oregon, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island. While Rebekka was smart and athletic (and witty and beautiful), her strongest feature was being plain sweet. While reserved and a bit shy, Rebekka was really and truly extraordinarily nice. Although official statistics are difficult to come by, Rebekka is, almost certainly, the sweetest person that ever lived. She loved her husband, her family, her friends and her dogs, and she did so in a consistent, compassionate and quiet manner. They loved her back. Rebekka also loved French fries, cows, country music and books. It was extremely difficult to make Rebekka angry, and easy to make her laugh. She had a gigantic smile. If you met her, she probably liked you, and you probably liked her right back. Thats the way it is when youre extremely sweet, as Rebekka was. Rebekka was diagnosed with an advanced case of cholangiocarcinoma this past August and was faced with a prognosis of only months to live. Throughout chemo, surgical procedures and hospital admissions, Rebekka remained a joy to be around, cracking jokes and looking out for the well being of her friends and family. It is commonly stated in an obituary that the deceased faced the end bravely, with grace and poise, but Rebekka really did. She died without spite, fear, or self-pity, and faced the end with genuine grace. Rebekka is survived by her husband, Nathaniel Grubbs; mother, Catherine O'Grady Sprouse; brother, Brenainn Sprouse; sister, Mary Dobroth(Chris); grandmother, Jane OGrady. Announced by Heritage Funeral Home.