Paula Rubenacker

Paula Rubenacker (nee Montalbano), age 45 of Wayne, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Monday, November 29, 2021. Raised in Little Falls, she has lived in Wayne since 2005.

Paula was a School Social Worker and Guidance Counselor at Washington Elementary School in Wyckoff. She’s been with the Wyckoff schools since 2010, having served in a few roles over the years, but Washington Elementary was like her home. Paula had graduated from DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, and then earned her Bachelor’s Degree in social work from Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ. She was also a member of Theta Phi Alpha sorority.  Paula continued on to earn her Master’s Degree in social work from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. Her professional career began with Youth Consultation Services (YCS), followed by a stint with the Belleville Board of Education, P.G. Chambers School in Cedar Knolls, and the Totowa Board of Education, before settling in with the Wyckoff Schools over eleven years ago. She felt right at home in Wyckoff and truly loved the people she worked with there. The Wyckoff Schools have lost an incredible member of their team and Paula’s presence will be greatly missed.

Paula’s family was, of course, everything to her. She and her husband, Matt, were high school sweethearts. They met at DePaul as freshmen and within a short time became best friends. It was almost uncanny how they shared so many common interests such as their taste in music (except Matt doesn’t care for the Violent Femmes as much as Paula did!), movies, concerts, travel, and, of course, Disney.  Anything Disney!  Paula was a Disney fanatic, right down to her Disney themed Christmas tree and a membership in the Disney Vacation Club. She took countless family vacations to Disney World annually for the last twenty-five years, and sometimes more than once a year! This past summer, they went to the Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii, then visited Disney Land in California on their layover back home (because why not?)! She could never have too much Disney in her life and that passion for “the mouse” spread quickly to her children. Paula and Matt also enjoyed family vacations to Lake George, Myrtle Beach, and Fourth of July which was often spent with her cousins in Ohio. Her favorite season of the year was now, Thanksgiving through Christmas. She often hosted holiday dinners and loved having a houseful of family, friends, happiness, love, and great food (a trait she picked up from her mother and grandmother).  

Paula’s sudden and tragic loss comes with a great deal of sadness, but there is a ray of sunshine to brighten this story. Paula’s life was spent helping others thru her profession and she was always very supportive of being an organ donor, especially since her mother was a kidney recipient many years ago after bouts with kidney disease.  Through this tragedy, her own gifts of life are already helping others, even as you read this. With the help of the dedicated staff at The NJ Sharing Network,  Paula’s loss has given life and hope to others. It is hard to imagine a more loving, a more kind, or a more selfless act than this. In lieu of flowers, her family kindly asks that you consider making a donation in Paula’s memory to the NJ Sharing Network.

Paula is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Matthew and their two children, Lea and Eryn of Wayne, her father, Bernard Montalbano of Little Falls, her brother, Mark Montalbano and his wife Mary Ann of Wayne, her parents-in-law, Carl and Jackie Rubenacker, sisters-in-law; Dawn Alvarez and husband Jose and Joline Mascis and husband Peter, all of Hawthorne, as well as, brother-in-law Shawn Rubenacker and his wife Annamarie of Newfoundland, in addition to many loving nieces, nephews, and countless dear friends. She was predeceased by her beloved mom, Patricia Montalbano, in 2020.