Retired attorney Roberta Mary Gubbins, JD, age 89, died Dec. 13, 2025, in Holt. She was born January 26, 1936, in Marshall, to Robert and Mary “Madelon” Gubbins.
Gubbins graduated from the University of Michigan in 1957 with a degree in journalism, where she was a member of the Men’s Rifle Team and the Women’s Rifle Club, and became the national small-bore rifle champion.
After teaching and raising her family, she pursued a career in law, graduating from the Michigan State University College of Law in 1986.
From 2005 to 2013, she served as editor of the Ingham County Legal News, then pursued a career in legal marketing and communications, writing blog posts for lawyers, law firms, and others.
For several years Gubbins was editor of Briefs, the newsletter of the Ingham County Bar Association, wrote a weekly marketing column, Clear & Convincing, for the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) and served as editor of The Mentor, the newsletter for the SBM Senior Lawyers Section. She also presented workshops on marketing for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and local bar association groups.
Gubbins was a general practitioner specializing in juvenile, criminal and adoption before leaving the active practice to volunteer with the American Bar Association Rule of Law program, spending a year in the Republic of Moldova to contribute to that nation’s efforts toward progress and legal reform. She later returned to Michigan to spend her remaining years surrounded by the love of her family while continuing to publish both fiction and non-fiction. She was a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the National Rifle Association, and volunteered at Potter Park Zoo.
She is survived by her former spouse, John Allen Gehrig; her children, John Robert Gehrig (Coi), Mary Elizabeth Rousseaux, and Melissa Ford Lucken (Walter); her grandchildren, Walter Anthony Lucken IV (Kate), Elliot Brooke Rousseaux, Collin Ford Lucken (Mykaela), and Hans Robert Gehrig; and her great-granddaughter, Lydia Penelope Lucken.
Memorial donations may be made to the Ingham County Animal Shelter.
Gubbins graduated from the University of Michigan in 1957 with a degree in journalism, where she was a member of the Men’s Rifle Team and the Women’s Rifle Club, and became the national small-bore rifle champion.
After teaching and raising her family, she pursued a career in law, graduating from the Michigan State University College of Law in 1986.
From 2005 to 2013, she served as editor of the Ingham County Legal News, then pursued a career in legal marketing and communications, writing blog posts for lawyers, law firms, and others.
For several years Gubbins was editor of Briefs, the newsletter of the Ingham County Bar Association, wrote a weekly marketing column, Clear & Convincing, for the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) and served as editor of The Mentor, the newsletter for the SBM Senior Lawyers Section. She also presented workshops on marketing for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and local bar association groups.
Gubbins was a general practitioner specializing in juvenile, criminal and adoption before leaving the active practice to volunteer with the American Bar Association Rule of Law program, spending a year in the Republic of Moldova to contribute to that nation’s efforts toward progress and legal reform. She later returned to Michigan to spend her remaining years surrounded by the love of her family while continuing to publish both fiction and non-fiction. She was a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the National Rifle Association, and volunteered at Potter Park Zoo.
She is survived by her former spouse, John Allen Gehrig; her children, John Robert Gehrig (Coi), Mary Elizabeth Rousseaux, and Melissa Ford Lucken (Walter); her grandchildren, Walter Anthony Lucken IV (Kate), Elliot Brooke Rousseaux, Collin Ford Lucken (Mykaela), and Hans Robert Gehrig; and her great-granddaughter, Lydia Penelope Lucken.
Memorial donations may be made to the Ingham County Animal Shelter.
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