Marina Vladimirovna McGuigan, of Baltimore, Maryland, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2026, at Harbor Hospital, at the age of 63.

She was born on May 24, 1963, in Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, a daughter to the late Maria Ivanovna Macsakova and Vladimir Vasilyevich Samoylov. Her life was struck by tragedy at age fourteen when her mother passed away due to an electrical accident. Despite living with her aunt and uncle for some time after this, she remained close to her siblings and helped raise them. Her father passed away in August 1996 after suffering a stroke.

Marina had a passion for English language and literature that guided the rest of her life. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Foreign Language Education from Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic University, as well as a Masters in secondary school education. She used her English fluency to teach the language at Vyksa Secondary School, where she served as Assistant Principal for two years, and to expand local foreign language pedagogy as president of the Regional English Language Teacher's Association.

In the 1990s, she volunteered as a liaison to the Peace Corps' mission in Vyksa, serving as a translator to USAID personnel and fostering Russian-American cultural exchange. She was asked by the regional government to work as an interpreter for Vyksa Steelworks and their American business contacts, which led her to the United States, as part of an effort to show Russian chicken farmers how Americans raised poultry on Delaware's Eastern Shore.

While working in Bethany Beach, Delaware, Marina met Bruce and the late Andrea McGuigan and worked as an au pair for their two children. The couple introduced Marina to Martin McGuigan and it was love at first sight; after staying up talking all night, the pair was engaged within a month. They got legally married in secret on November 4, 1996, at Arlington County courthouse in Virginia, and were officially married at St. Nicholas Church in Washington, DC, on January 12, 1997.

Marina and Marty lived in Arlington, VA, and had two children before settling down in Falls Church, VA, where they lived for 17 years. In August 2021, the family moved to the Homeland neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, where Marina lived until she passed.

Since 2007, Marina was employed by Alexandria City Public Schools as a teacher of English Language for Adults. Over the last 19 years, she taught classes for all levels, from Adult Low Beginners to Adult High Intermediate, and she was loved dearly by her students. She was a lifelong advocate for adult learners and immigrants and supported her students in pursuing American citizenship.

In her free time, Marina loved to spend time outdoors, whether on a hike at Cromwell Valley Park with her dog, Spunk, or growing cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash in her abundant garden. She was an avid reader and had watched more movies and TV shows than anyone could imagine. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of art, music, and literature, and her love for all genres and art forms was indicative of her general attitude towards life, one of curiosity and passion and joy.

She is survived by her husband, Marty, her two children, Peter and Pasha, and her dog, Spunk, as well as her family in Russia; her sisters: Tatiana and Anna. Her brothers: Sergei and Vladimir. Her cousin Irina, her Aunt Tanya, as well as her nieces. Although she never had the chance to visit again, she stayed in close contact with them throughout the rest of her life and ensured the family connection would live on through her children.

Marina will be most remembered for the love and kindness she showed the world, whether through her caring words, her contagious laughter, or the armfuls of delicious food she would prepare and bestow upon even the most casual of guests. A memorial service will be held for her on Friday, August 21, at St. Nicholas Cathedral. The interment will be held on Saturday, August 22nd at 11:00am at St. Mary Govans Cemetery, 233 Homeland Ave. Baltimore, MD  21212.

She will be deeply missed and remembered all the time. Memory eternal | Вечная память.