Marina Brubaker

1958 - 2026

Marina Brubaker
10/26/1958 - 03/03/2026
Marina Brubaker passed peacefully at her Houston home on the morning of March 3, 2026, following a hard-fought struggle with cancer. She is survived by her partner of many years, Robert Knetsch, her sister Catherine, and her brother David.
Raised in Tucson, Arizona, in a family for whom music was a way of life, Marina studied violin and piano from an early age. Those early years carried her to Wichita State University and subsequently to Yale University, where she completed graduate studies in music. She went on to pursue a distinguished career as an orchestral violinist, performing with the Fort Worth Symphony and the Grand Rapids Symphony before joining the Houston Symphony in 1988, an association that gave her not only a professional home but lasting friendships.
Many summers brought Marina to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival and found equal pleasure in hiking and exploring nature. An ardent lover of the outdoors, she had recently purchased a cabin in Door County, Wisconsin, where she looked forward to spending summers in the company of Robert and her family, enjoying the wildlife and natural beauty that surrounded her.
Marina was a woman of broad and genuine curiosity. She took delight in museums and galleries, and pursued her own creative interests through painting, polymer clay, and flamenco dancing. She shared her passion generously, teaching many young violinists over the years and ensuring that her gift would extend well beyond the stage.
Known above all as a faithful friend and devoted family member, Marina was loved by many, and she will be profoundly missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations in Marina's memory be made to the Houston Symphony and Door County Land Trust.