Pierre Andrew Cubbage
The kind and gentle soul of Pierre Andrew Cubbage left his body on Friday, March 3rd, at 3:34 p.m.
Born on August 29, 1961 in El Dorado, KS, to the late Marion and Josette Cubbage, Pierre was the younger brother of Frederic and the older brother of Patrick and Michelle (deceased).
Pierre spent his childhood in Burns, KS, graduated from Peabody High School in 1979 and went on to earn a degree in electrical engineering technology from Kansas State University. Pierre loved and excelled at his job selling cable television equipment, working for close to 40 years at MegaHertz Corporation. Due to his longevity in the industry, he formed many lasting and meaningful relationships.
Music, cars and space were Pierre’s passions. He played many gigs with his band, the Darrells, throughout Soulard for more than 18 years. Pierre’s band mates – Brett, Dwayne and David – were like family. Through music, Pierre developed an extended network of good friends, too numerous to mention.
Over the years, Pierre had several complications with his health; however, his biggest challenge came in November, 2018 when he received a double lung transplant. The transplant team at Barnes Jewish Hospital became another family to Pierre as they gave him an additional 4+ years of life. Through his pulmonary hypertension support group, he met many wonderful people who could completely understand his journey.
Pierre took his last breath surrounded by his family who cherished him dearly. As he would have desired, his 180-song ‘Go To Happy Song’ playlist was on continuous shuffle. He is survived by Frederic and his wife Annie, Chengdu, China and Patrick and his wife Jannie, Overland Park, KS. Pierre was the adored uncle and godfather to Sylvie Cubbage, Fred’s daughter and super cool uncle to Clay Cubbage, Carly and David Henderson, the children of Patrick and Jannie. His sister Michelle’s daughters, Raven Sanchez and Amber Williams also survive.
Pierre touched the hearts of countless people throughout his life and he will be missed beyond measure. A memorial service and musical celebration will be planned for a later time. Pierre left explicit instructions for how he wanted to be remembered and we will be honoring each of his requests.
Please consider making a memorial donation in Pierre’s name to one of the following:
Play it Forward Musical Foundation STL, whose mission is to ensure each child in St. Louis is provided with the opportunity to discover his or her musical talents.
www.gofundme.com/f/play-it-forward-musical-foundation
The Organ Transplant Program will support transformative research and patient care in organ transplant.
Organ Transplant Program
C/O The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital
1001 Highlands Plaza Drive West Suite 140
Saint Louis, Missouri 63110
I was the fellow in charge of the Electronic Engineering Technology program at Kansas State University when Pierre was a student there in the early 1980s. I remember him quite clearly … and that is rather odd as he was a rather quiet student and in most regards, neither sought the spotlight nor received it.
But there was something engaging about him … one of those students you remember, despite not being able to say precisely why he or she is memorable.
Pierre had a good sense of humor and he also expressed an interest in music. While many of his classmates displayed a sort of obsession with the subject matter, I would describe Pierre’s interest as more of a professional one. It wasn’t going to be who he was, but what he did.
His first name rather set him apart as I have to confess that in all my years of teaching, I never met another Pierre until I spent some time in France where there is an abundance of them. Then, years after he had graduated and gone, my wife mentioned him. She had no idea he had been a student of mine and I had no idea they were both from the small Kansas village of Burns!
Doing a little web snooping, I discovered he was in St. Louis and we spoke via e-mail once or maybe twice. He appeared to be doing well and was pretty pleased with his life. As a teacher, that sort of outcome is something that always makes you feel good.
Sad that his time with us was not longer, yet happy that it seemed to have been well spent.
I got to know Pierre quite recently. I met him through his band, The Darrells. Pierre and I struck up a conversation and we quickly became friends. The last time I saw Pierre was when he invited me to the Alice Cooper concert at the Stifel Theatre in September. Neither of us were huge Alice Cooper fans, but we had a good time hanging out and talking music.
I only knew Pierre a short time, but I will state to the universe that Pierre played some cool and tasteful licks on guitar. He joked about his condition and although he was struggling, he always looked on the bright side of life. I was glad I was able to spend some time with him.
Cheers to Pierre🍻