Henry F. Rubino, 76, longtime Tacony pharmacist

Henry "Hank" F. Rubino, 76, who operated Rubino Pharmacy in Tacony for 46 years and helped establish PACE, Pennsylvania's prescription program for seniors, died of complications from kidney failure Sunday, Dec. 4, at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Atlantis, Fla.

Mr. Rubino was an active member and past president of the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists.

In the early 1980s, he and 10 other pharmacists helped State Sen. James R. Lloyd Jr. craft a program to fund prescriptions for low-income seniors.

"We worked for four years, sometimes until 2 and 3 in the morning," said Samuel Brog, former executive director of the association.

In 1984, Lloyd coauthored a bill to establish PACE that passed in the state legislature. The PACE program is subsidized by state lottery funds.

At his pharmacy on Torresdale Avenue, Mr. Rubino took the time to explain complicated medications to his customers, his wife, Rosemary Paolini Rubino, said, and he often spoke to community groups.

Mr. Rubino had been an adjunct clinical instructor in the Temple University School of Pharmacy.

He grew up in Tacony, where his grandfather established a bakery in the early 1900s.

Mr. Rubino graduated from Lincoln High School. While attending Temple's pharmacy school, he worked in the Tacony pharmacy of his stepfather, Rocco DeMarco.

After graduating in 1958, Mr. Rubino opened a pharmacy on Torresdale Avenue with his stepfather's help.

He and his wife operated the pharmacy until six years ago. The couple, who had known each other since childhood, married in 1960.

Since retiring, they had spent summers in their home on Lake Hauto in the Poconos and winters in Boynton Beach, Fla. They enjoyed traveling abroad and taking cruises.

Mr. Rubino was a member of the Sons of Italy Tacony-Mayfair Lodge and the Mayfair Optimist Club.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Louis; two brothers; and three granddaughters.

Friends may call from 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 11, and from 8:30 to 10 a.m., Monday, Dec. 12, at Sannutti Funeral Home, 7101 Torresdale Ave. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m., Monday, Dec. 12, at Our Lady of Consolation Church, 7056 Tulip St., Philadelphia. Burial will be in Sky-View Memorial Park, Tamaqua, Pa.