Obituary: Mary Elizabeth Brubeck
Courtesy photo
Mary Elizabeth Brubeck, 71, of Blackwell, Oklahoma, passed away on Oct. 5, 2024, peacefully in her home in Eagle, Colorado, next to her husband after a courageous battle with cancer for the past two years. Mary Beth is a fighter and after surviving a stroke and a brain aneurysm in 2016, her strength is evident to anyone who knows her. Mary Beth was born on April 2, 1953, to Bill and Dorothy Hahn in Blackwell, Oklahoma. After Mary Beth graduated from Blackwell High School, she went on to study elementary education at Oklahoma State.
After graduating with a degree in education, her father encouraged her to spend some time in the beautiful mountains of Colorado so she packed up and moved to Vail, Colorado, where she worked a variety of jobs in hospitality. While working as a housekeeper for the Christiania Lodge, she met the love of her life, Kevin Brubeck, who was pursuing a career as a ski bum while working in the maintenance department. The two were soon married in Bend, Oregon, at the Inn at the 7th Mountain where they happened to be working. Soon after, they returned to Colorado, where Mary Beth suggested the tourism industry might not be for them which prompted Kevin to pursue a career in finance and Mary Beth worked various jobs to help get him through school.
Although she held a degree in elementary education, Mary Beth’s true dream was to be a mother and her passion for motherhood shone until the very end. Her children, Sarah and Christopher, were the light of her life. You could find her in the bleachers in all weather conditions, in any gym or field in Colorado supporting her children at their various sporting events and activities. She lived her life for her kids, making every holiday special with family traditions and surprising them with thoughtful notes, food and gifts all the way through college to let them know they were on her mind. Once she met her grandchildren, Sean and Payton, her life was truly complete. They made her light up even on her sickest of days and although she reached a point where she could no longer get out of bed, she spent hours looking at shared albums, commenting on videos and pictures of the babies and laughing at them when they were there in person.
Mary Beth was a true sports fanatic. Although she was an avid Oklahoma State fan above all, her second love was the University of Colorado football team, Kevin’s alma mater. She loved watching important sporting events on TV including the Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, World Series, the Kentucky Derby or The Masters. She was passionate about sports and could tell just about any stat you wanted to know. She even watched some hockey to appease her daughter.
Mary Beth also loved to share her passion for home-cooked meals with her family. Planning and cooking her family’s favorite meals was one of her favorite pastimes. She loved sharing meals that were passed down from other family members and trying new foods while traveling. Traveling was a hobby that Kevin and Mary Beth enjoyed together that was unfortunately cut short by her illness. Although complications from her stroke made traveling difficult, the two were still able to travel to many different countries before her cancer diagnosis.
Support Local Journalism
Mary Beth was predeceased by her parents, Bill and Dorothy Hahn, her Uncle Earl Hahn and her Uncle Harold Hahn. She is survived by her husband, Kevin Brubeck, her sister, Beverly (Hahn) Alexander (Loren), her daughter Sarah (Brubeck) Schnurbusch (Tim), her son, Christopher Brubeck (Kyla), her nieces, Kristen (Alexander) Generotzke, Holly (Alexander) Nguyen, and Jill (Alexander) McAvoy, and her grandchildren Payton Schnurbusch and Sean Brubeck.
Services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Eagle, Colorado, on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10 a.m. A reception will follow at 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott, Colorado, from聽12:30-3:30.聽In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Shaw Cancer Center, an organization that was very important to Kevin and Mary Beth through this journey. Payments can be made online with the option to donate in her memory at聽
Checks can be made to:
The Vail Health Foundation (memo line: Mary Beth Brubeck for Shaw at Home)
PO Box 1529
Vail, CO, 81658
