James Arthur Brubaker

James Arthur Brubaker – master storyteller, superb salesman, talented chef, devoted friend and beloved husband – passed away June 21, 2023, in Houston at age 66 after a brief illness. Bru, as most knew him, is survived by Beth Keitt Brubaker, his college sweetheart and the love of his life.

Bru was born January 26, 1957, in Houston to William Arthur Brubaker, a certified public accountant and executive administrator, and Shirley Oliver Brubaker, a homemaker, who is with us still at age 92. He graduated from Waltrip High School and attended Baylor University before graduating with a degree in restaurant management from the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership. Baylor is where Bru met and fell in love with Beth. They were married January 9, 1982, and she has been by his side ever since.

More than most men, Bru was a man defined by his passions, and there were many.

One was saltwater fishing with his buddies, trips that were equal parts bacchanal, fishing competition, sunshine and bromance. In fact, Bru fell ill just days before he was set to leave on his yearly Gulf Coast adventure. His favorite part of these trips may have been the drinking and storytelling, but he always came back with an impressive sunburn and an equally impressive cooler of fish for the grill.

Another of Bru's great passions was tailgating before every Houston Texans' home football game with his dear friend, David Mitchell. For more than 15 years, Bru and David hosted Sysco's unofficial pregame party tent – with Bru spending the whole day before prepping and cooking and planning so they could roll out an eye-popping buffet that looked effortless but blew the minds of everyone who stopped by. An amazing self-taught chef, Bru was especially known for his beef and chicken fajitas with all the fixings and his beer-battered sidewinder fries, always capped off with an icy cold Jack Daniels and Diet Coke. It was the party that never stopped, often rolling on long after the game began. And Bru always made sure to save some of the "really good stuff" to bring home to Beth.

Tailgating played off another of Bru's biggest passions – food and drink of all kinds, and always of the highest quality he could find. Food was the thread that laced together his entire career. He started out waiting tables at Shanghai Reds to put himself through the last years of college, before moving on to food & beverage director at the Holiday Inn in La Marque, where he once cooked for evacuees from Hurricane Alicia even as the storm bore down upon him. After that, he managed Houlihan's at the old Saks 5th Avenue center on Post Oak and opened the first Fuddruckers on Chimney Rock before shifting to Cliff's Hamburgers, where he managed several locations. Finally, he settled into selling all manner of foods and supplies to restaurants all over Southeast Texas for foodservice giant Sysco Corp.

Bru hit full stride when he came to Sysco in the early 1990s, even though he'd never sold anything before in his life. When he landed there, he found family in more ways than one. Not only did his colleagues become like siblings, but Bru brought his personal family legacy full circle. Bru essentially took over the job once held by his grandfather, Clint Oliver, one of the original salesmen for Zero Foods, Sysco's predecessor. Bru kept his granddaddy's early Sysco photos on his desk, and he loved telling coworkers stories about the role model who'd meant so much to him.

Bru's passion for food and hospitality spilled over into his personal life, where he honed his cooking skills to a sharp edge. Invitations to Bru's table were much prized, and friends and family eagerly devoured the treats and delicacies he concocted on his row of backyard grills and smokers.

Perhaps Bru's greatest passion was people – the friends he spent a lifetime collecting. Most people pick up and drop friends as they move through life, but not Bru. He acquired friends and kept them close his whole life. Beginning in high school and on into college and then on to Sysco, the circle never stopped expanding. Neighbors were folded in as family. Work colleagues became brothers. Old friends never faded.

Many of Bru's friends have said he's the kind of friend everyone wanted, the brother some wished they'd had. He treated everyone the same, whether they were a busboy or a CEO, and he treated them all the way he wanted to be treated, just like his grandfather taught him.

Among Bru's hundreds of friends, one person stands out as his greatest passion of all – Beth, the creative genius whose heart he somehow captured. They started as friends and stayed friends as their love deepened and endured through the decades. He appreciated her tremendous talent as both an award-winning art educator and a teacher of other teachers, but also treasured her as his funny, up-for-anything, faithful, loving companion in life.

Sadly, Bru never got to see the exhibition of Beth's amazing work that's now hanging at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Art, on Cypresswood. The exhibit opened the weekend he fell ill. But Bru delighted in watching her blossom as her Keittoodles broke out and quickly started winning a wider following. Her art may be Beth's life and breath, but Bru – and their dogs and their home together – has always been her heart. At the end of Bru's life, Beth was still by his side, holding his hand, as she had for many hours and days, and for 41 years.

The severity of Bru's last illness surprised everyone, most of all him, because he'd beaten cancer three times before. He never saw this round coming, and his family didn't even know he was sick a month ago. As the cancer quickly overcame him these last weeks, the one good thing about it was that Bru was spared a dragged-out, suffering decline, which he would've hated. When he chose to stop treatment and come home, it's because he's always done things his way. Shortly before he left the hospital, he told a visitor: "I've had an extraordinary life. A tough life, but a good life."

Bru lived large, and we will always treasure his memory.

Bru is survived by his wife Beth Keitt Brubaker, his mother Shirley Brubaker, his sister Laurel Brubaker Calkins and her husband Charles, and their sons. Bru is also survived by Beth's siblings: Brad Keitt and his wife Paige and their children; Susan Gorney and her husband Mike and their children; and Melanie Morris and her husband Paul and their children.

Donations in Bru's memory can be made to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Houston Cocker Spaniel Rescue, or any "no kill" animal rescue group.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate Bru's life at a visitation with his family from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, at Klein Funeral Home, located at 16131 Champion Forest Dr, Spring, 77379. His funeral service will be held at the same location at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 26, followed by a reception at noon at Shirley Acres, located at 217 Woerner Rd, Houston 77090.

The Memorial Service will be live streamed by clicking on this link: https://youtube.com/live/xMuxByZO0cA?feature=share