Dr. Marilyn Copeland Kostka

1942 - 2019

Dr. Marilyn Copeland Kostka, 77, passed away on February 14, 2019, in Austin. She was born Marilyn Janice Copeland on February 12, 1942, in Holyrood, Kansas to Janice Osthoff and Harold Copeland. The youngest of four, she grew up in Boulder, Colorado in the shadow of the mountains she always loved. As a child, she often spent time in the family flower shop, Sturtz and Copeland, then on Arapahoe near Boulder Creek, where she developed a lifelong love for nature and gardening. After graduating from Boulder High School as Head Girl in 1960, Marilyn attended the University of Colorado for two years before she met fellow music student Stefan Kostka. They were married in 1962 and moved to Austin, Texas, where she earned her bachelor's degree in music education from The University of Texas. After her graduation in 1964, they moved to Oak Hill, West Virginia where they both taught music for two years, and then later moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where she gave birth to her son Kent Matthew Kostka and daughter Julie Lynn Kostka. In 1969 the family moved to Rochester, NY, where again she and Stefan taught music. In 1974, they moved back to Austin with their two children and had a third child, Laurel Elise Kostka. Marilyn taught music and earned a Masters degree and a Doctorate in Music Education at The University of Texas. She and Stefan were divorced but remained close friends, and she spent several years teaching music at U.T. and in public schools in the Austin area. In 1993 Marilyn moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, as a professor of music education at Northern Arizona University until her retirement in 2008. She became deeply involved in research and writing in the field of music education. She was published frequently and recognized nationally for her contributions to the field of music education and pedagogy, particularly in the area of elementary music education, one of her deepest passions. She returned to the Austin area in 2014 to be with family. She is preceded in death by her daughter Laurel Shelton, and survived by her children Kent Kostka and Julie Kostka, both of Austin, her brothers Jim and Ron Copeland, sister JoAnne Sarbaugh, and her five beloved grandchildren Elizabeth Baca, Chris Baca, Jared Shelton, Savannah Shelton, and Dashiell Kostka. Marilyn had a deep passion for animals, music, family, and the mountains. She never stopped playing the piano nor listening to and appreciating beautiful music. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Marilyn's memory to Austin Pets Alive or Christopher House of Austin.