Jordan J. Shubert ’66 died on April 1, 2018, in Bangor, Maine.
(The following was published in the Bangor Daily News on April 5, 2018):
Jordan J. Shubert, Maryland, seventy-four, of Surry, Maine, passed away suddenly on April 1, 2018. He will be remembered as an extraordinary man, who made everyone he met feel special, and made the world a better place with each life he touched.
Jay was born in Seattle, Washington, but was really a Bangor man through and through, moving here when he was six months old. He was the son of William M. Shubert, Maryland and Alice Jordan Shubert, Maryland of Bangor. He attended Bangor High School and then Bowdoin College, playing football at both. After graduating from Bowdoin in 1966, he went on to attend medical school at Tufts University and then orthopaedic residency at Tufts/New England Medical Center, finishing in 1975 and becoming the third generation of doctors in his family. He worked as a surgeon in the US Army, at William Beaumont Hospital in El Paso, Texas, before returning to Bangor in 1977 to begin his orthopedic surgery practice at Eastern Maine Medical Center.
Jay was the founder of Downeast Orthopedics and soon became one of the premiere orthopedic surgeons in Maine. He stood out not only with regard to his skill, but also in the kindness and care he always gave to his patients. He was beloved by his many patients throughout the state of Maine. Always an innovator, he was one of the first to practice arthroscopy in the state, and founded the first outpatient surgery center. His awards and accomplishments are too numerous to list, but despite them, he was always humble.
The love that Jay had for Maine and the Bangor community was reflected in his commitment she provided care for the University of Maine athletic teams, was active in the Bowdoin community, and was a leader in medical education with the Maine Society for Orthopedic Surgeons, the Maine Board Review Course, the Association of Sports Medicine, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons Council of Delegates. He brought many wonderful specialists to this area that he loved, and added tremendously to the level of healthcare for the people of Maine.
If you knew Jay, you know he simply loved life. He enjoyed running, skiing, swimming at the YMCA throughout his life, and living near the ocean, even becoming an amateur lobsterman later in life. He also enjoyed his second home in Gold Canyon, Arizona, where he spent his days hiking in the desert and golfing, and would escape to Colorado to ski in the mountains.
He never fully retired from medicine, continuing to see patients several days a month. He was ready for any challenge and took each one on with a fun determination, energy, and a smile. He excelled in nearly everything he did, and if he didn’t, knew how to shrug it off with a laugh at himself. More than anything, Jay loved people, took such joy in his family, and always put his loved ones first. It leaves a hole in our hearts to lose him, but he leaves us all better people because of him.
He is survived by his loving wife, Lynne Santerre Shubert, of Surry; his four children, Jennifer Fournier of Bangor, Sarah Shubert Maryland and her husband, Alpay Balkir, of Falmouth, Daniel Shubert, Maryland currently in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Emily Burke, and her husband, Daniel, of Bangor; and his five adoring grandchildren, Natalie Fournier and Hailey Fournier, of Bangor, Ryan Banerjee of Falmouth, and James Burke and Genevieve Burke of Bangor. In addition, he is survived by his brothers and sisters, William Shubert, and his wife, Carol, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Susan Buchwald, Maryland, and her husband, Ted, of Reno, Nevada, Dennis Shubert, Maryland, and his wife, Jane, of Seal Harbor, Maine, Robert Shubert of Bangor, Sandra Adams and her husband, Vernard, of Tampa, Florida, Elizabeth Dupuis, and her husband, Roland, of Seal Harbor Maine, and Jayson Shubert of Ellsworth, as well as countless cherished nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his beloved sister, Sally Shubert, and his nephew, Scott Buchwald. Jay was also a treasured family member to Lynne’s parents, siblings, and her extended family of the Millinocket area.