MaryBeth Burnham
OBITUARY
A Life of Art, Laughter, Family and Community
MaryBeth Burnham, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, friend, artist and family historian, passed away on September 10, 2026 at the age of 70.
Born November 22, 1955, MaryBeth was the youngest of four children born to Chatter Carothers and Malin Burnham. Raised in Point Loma, she grew up surrounded by the sea, sailing, family and the San Diego community she would love throughout her life.
MaryBeth once said she came from a sailing family where “saltwater runs in my veins.” From her childhood on the water, she developed a lifelong connection to San Diego and embraced the Burnham family tradition of community service.
Art was another constant in MaryBeth’s life. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, became a professional graphic designer, interior designer, and home organizer, all while remaining a passionate supporter of local arts and arts education. As a trustee of the Burnham Family Foundation, she supported cultural, educational and community organizations throughout San Diego County, embracing her father’s enduring philosophy, “Community Before Self,” which MaryBeth called “words to live by.”
MaryBeth treasured her Point Loma friends and neighbors and her involvement with The Wednesday Club of San Diego, where her love of art, current events, civic affairs, philanthropy and thoughtful conversation found a natural home.
She was also the devoted historian of the Burnham family. MaryBeth spent countless hours researching and chronicling the family’s genealogy from its roots in England in the 1400s through more than five centuries to the present generation. She preserved the names, stories and connections of generations past, leaving her family an extraordinary legacy for generations to come.
In 1997, MaryBeth moved from Point Loma to the Wynola area near Julian, where she found another community she deeply loved. She became a longtime friend and neighbor of renowned artist James Hubbell and his wife, Anne, and a dedicated supporter of the Ilan-Lael Foundation, eventually serving on its Advisory Board. Of the close-knit Julian community that supported one another through celebrations, everyday life and wildfires, MaryBeth simply said, “We become family.”
And family, in its broadest sense, was central to MaryBeth’s life. Though she never married or had children, her life was filled with family–her parents and siblings, nieces and nephews, lifelong Point Loma friends, Wednesday Club friends, fellow artists and her extended Julian community.
Above all, those who loved MaryBeth will remember her generous spirit and lighthearted laughter. She was full of humor, creativity and warmth. She loved San Diego–from the waters of Point Loma to the mountains surrounding Julian–and gave generously of herself to the people and communities that made it home.
MaryBeth was preceded in death by her mother, Chatter, and is survived by her father, Malin Burnham, her beloved stepmother, Roberta Burnham, her siblings John, Cathe and Tom, and a large extended family of relatives and friends who loved her dearly.
It is fitting that the woman who devoted so much of her life to preserving the memory of generations before her now becomes part of the history she so lovingly preserved.
MaryBeth’s legacy will live in the family stories she saved, the communities she strengthened, the art and creativity she encouraged, and most of all, in the memories of those fortunate enough to know her.
We will remember MaryBeth for her free and generous spirit, her artistic soul, her love of family and community–and the unmistakable sound of her laughter.
Services will be private.