Margit Annette Johansson
November 16, 1939 - January 29, 2026
Margit Annette Johansson, 86, of Boulder, Colorado, died peacefully on January 29, 2026. Born November 16, 1939, in Iowa City, Iowa, she grew up in Massachusetts and later earned her undergraduate degree from Radcliffe College and a PhD in Sociology from Columbia University.
Margit met her late husband, Rubin Rabinovitz, when they were both graduate students at Columbia. They married in 1974 at her parent’s home in Rockport, Massachusetts. She taught sociology at Brooklyn College before moving to Boulder for Rubin's professorship at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Margit was a lifelong advocate for social justice, civil rights, environmental causes, and the Democratic process. She was an assistant professor for the College of Design and Planning at the University of Colorado and later a research associate in the Women Studies program. As her children grew, she wore many professional hats: working on content for Boulder's local PBS and Public Access stations; producing and directing a documentary of the town of Longmont's spray-paint message board, "Cheaper Charley’s Shed, 1936-1990"; and tending to many local and national causes.
She was especially drawn to voting integrity, knowing that fair, free elections are the cornerstone of democracy. She helped found, and was a longtime president of, Coloradans for Voting Integrity, a non-partisan group dedicated to fair, accessible, and verifiable voting at the state and national level.
Known for her sharp wit, curiosity, and fearless activism, she remained engaged in civic life well into her later years. She also adored and was beloved by her children, son-in-law, and grandchildren, whom she nurtured and encouraged throughout her life and theirs.
She was predeceased by her husband, Rubin Rabinovitz and her parents, and is survived by her children, Berit and Jory; son‑in‑law Grant; grandchildren Soren and Esben; her siblings; and extended family.
A celebration of life will be held April 19 at 1 p.m. MST at the Chautauqua Community House in Boulder. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Public Citizen, the ACLU, or the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Donations
Margit’s Celebration of Life
Sunday, April 19th, 2026
1:00pm MST
Chautauqua Community House
301 Morning Glory Drive
Boulder, CO 80302