Carol Brubaker

Carol Brubaker died in Evanston Illinois on March 6 2019. She passed peacefully and was surrounded by family. Born in Kansas in 1932, she attended Wichita State University where she received a music degree. She met her husband Dale Brubaker when she accepted a teaching job in Wichita Falls, Texas. They soon moved to Tucson, Arizona where Dale taught in the public schools and Carol established a thriving private violin studio. Carol's passion in life was teaching and playing classical music. She was Assistant Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony for many years and played in the Flagstaff Music Festival every summer. Her students went on to perform in major orchestras and community symphonies, and many became educators themselves. Her four children also became musicians. Marina plays in the Houston Symphony, David in the Minnesota Orchestra, Catherine in the Chicago Symphony, and Steven played for many years in the Tucson Symphony. Carol loved living in Arizona and spending time outdoors. The family often enjoyed camping and hiking. There were many summer journeys in the unairconditioned family van through the western states. She also was a wonderful gardener even in the heat of Tucson. She always had a productive vegetable garden and in her Devon Street home she had a beautiful flowering desert garden surrounded by dusky purple walls. Upon Dale's retirement in 1988 Carol won the Assistant Principal Second Violin position with the Barcelona Symphony. They moved to Spain for a 4 year adventure. They learned Spanish and a bit of Catalan and adjusted to siestas and eating late at night! They also traveled through Europe and made many dear friends. After their return to Tucson in 1992 Carol rejoined the Tucson Symphony, this time in the viola section. She continued to live in Tucson after Dale's death in 1997, playing and teaching for many years. She moved to Evanston IL in 2016. There, she lived in an independent senior community where she enjoyed participating in discussion groups and other activities. She continued to enjoy music, joining the choir at the Unitarian Church of Evanston and attending concerts. She was a regular at the Chicago Symphony where she could watch daughter Catherine in the viola section. She is survived by her children, Marina, Steven, Catherine, and David and by her grandchildren Asha, Samir, and Sadie. There will be a Celebration of Life open house with the family on April 13. Further information can be found at tinyurl.com/carolslife. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the MIchael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research and to the Tucson Symphony.