The story of Robert Jacob Rebitski doesn’t end on February 25, 2025; it radiates outward in widening rings. Though his life was tragically cut short by a traffic accident at age 26, the values he lived by continue to inspire lasting impact through the support of the Fraternal Legacy Rider1 from Catholic Order of Foresters, a fraternal benefit society with a strong presence in northern Kentucky.
Born in Cincinnati in 1998, Robert entered the world with his triplet siblings, Joanna and Paul. He was raised in a close-knit Catholic family in Hebron, Kentucky, and childhood was filled with neighborhood games, Boy Scouts, and Catholic spiritual formation led by his beloved Grams. He was, in the words of his mother, Becky, “funny, kind, loyal, protective … wicked smart.” He fell in love with Novalynne, his fiancée of seven years, and he owned Predictable Surgical Tech, a company founded by his father George Rebitski.
But then came the unimaginable. A tractor trailer crossed a median and struck Robert’s vehicle head-on. In the wake of tragedy, Robert’s family found meaning in honoring his life.
When Robert and his siblings entered college, Becky searched for life insurance coverage and was drawn to Catholic Order of Foresters for its affordability and mission. “We believed in Catholic values and wanted a company that shared those,” she said. The Fraternal Legacy Rider made it possible for Robert’s legacy to fund something lasting. That legacy lives on in the form of a scholarship in Robert’s name at St. Henry District High School, his alma mater.
“In every stage of our children’s lives,” Becky reflected, “their Catholic faith and Catholic schooling formed who they became. When tragedy struck, that same community helped us carry the weight.”
For George, Becky, Paul, Joanna, Novalynne, and the entire Rebitski family, Robert’s story is about the way he made others feel known, loved, and seen, and by the good his name continues to do.
Article by Connor McEleney