The family of Mary Beth Norris, a classically trained flutiest who founded the Steamboat Springs Symphony Orchestra in 1991, said the longtime Steamboat resident died May 19, 2026, at her home in Steamboat Springs.

The news has left her family, friends and the tight-knit musical community in the Yampa Valley stunned this week.

There is no question that Norris, who grew up in a small farming community in Kansas, had a huge impact on the community where she helped create a home for the Steamboat Springs Symphony Orchestra in the mountains of Northwest Colorado, taught young students to play the pennywhistle at local preschools and as a private music teacher helped guide promising young flutist to their goals in music.

Norris legacy is built on her passion for classical music, education and the community where she lived. Norris was married to her husband Mark Fisher were married for 35 years and raised their daughter Catherine Shaw in Steamboat Springs.

In honor of Mary Beth’s passion for music education, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and the Mary Beth Norris Music Scholarship Fund, a fund of the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, instead of flowers. Donations can be made online  at https://steamboatorchestra.kindful.com/  and https://link.edgepilot.com/x/2EBOdCV1TX9HEkO3Oy2mAxI?u=https://yvcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=3112.