How can I begin to write a eulogy for a friend that I’ve loved for over thirty years? I know that just writing these words will make Rosemary’s passing a reality and that it will mark the beginning of my grieving process. Rosemary was a wonderful friend. The best. Loyal, supportive, unique, delightfully quirky, and inspiring. We understood one another.
I first met Rosemary in 1990 at the Donohue Building in Printers Row, Chicago. She owned a lovely, magical loft on the 4th floor that radiated energy and a sense of peace the moment one stepped inside. My husband, Tom, and I lived on the 5th floor with our two daughters in a unit that overlapped a portion of hers. Elissa was 5-years-old at the time, and Erica was only 3. Needless to say, we were an active tribe, but Rosemary never said a word about our exuberant tumbling and stomping. As the Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago Dance Medium, Rosemary’s reputation as an accomplished dancer/choreographer was well known in our community, but I didn’t know that she also taught children to dance. One day I asked her how I might introduce my girls to dance. She was adamant when she said, “at my school, of course!”
Soon Erica and Elissa began ballet lessons at the Chicago Dance Medium studio in the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. Entering this historic building, then riding the elevator (with an actual elevator operator) to a professional ballet studio became a memorable Saturday morning event. Rosemary mentored Erica and Elissa through 8th grade, then lovingly followed their lives through adulthood. Rosemary’s method of dance instruction not only taught my daughters the meaning of grace, but it instilled incredible confidence that they hold to this day. Rosemary believed in her students, no matter what age. She encouraged and included every one of them while simultaneously creating her own challenging performance pieces. Her works of art often incorporated dancers of all ages and levels, encouraging them t
How can I begin to write a eulogy for a friend that I’ve loved for over thirty years? I know that just writing these words will make Rosemary’s passing a reality and that it will mark the beginning of my grieving process. Rosemary was a wonderful friend. The best. Loyal, supportive, unique, delightfully quirky, and inspiring. We understood one another.
I first met Rosemary in 1990 at the Donohue Building in Printers Row, Chicago. She owned a lovely, magical loft on the 4th floor that radiated energy and a sense of peace the moment one stepped inside. My husband, Tom, and I lived on the 5th floor with our two daughters in a unit that overlapped a portion of hers. Elissa was 5-years-old at the time, and Erica was only 3. Needless to say, we were an active tribe, but Rosemary never said a word about our exuberant tumbling and stomping. As the Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago Dance Medium, Rosemary’s reputation as an accomplished dancer/choreographer was well known in our community, but I didn’t know that she also taught children to dance. One day I asked her how I might introduce my girls to dance. She was adamant when she said, “at my school, of course!”
Soon Erica and Elissa began ballet lessons at the Chicago Dance Medium studio in the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. Entering this historic building, then riding the elevator (with an actual elevator operator) to a professional ballet studio became a memorable Saturday morning event. Rosemary mentored Erica and Elissa through 8th grade, then lovingly followed their lives through adulthood. Rosemary’s method of dance instruction not only taught my daughters the meaning of grace, but it instilled incredible confidence that they hold to this day. Rosemary believed in her students, no matter what age. She encouraged and included every one of them while simultaneously creating her own challenging performance pieces. Her works of art often incorporated dancers of all ages and levels, encouraging them t
How can I begin to write a eulogy for a friend that I’ve loved for over thirty years? I know that just writing these words will make Rosemary’s passing a reality and that it will mark the beginning of my grieving process. Rosemary was a wonderful friend. The best. Loyal, supportive, unique, delightfully quirky, and inspiring. We understood one another.
I first met Rosemary in 1990 at the Donohue Building in Printers Row, Chicago. She owned a lovely, magical loft on the 4th floor that radiated energy and a sense of peace the moment one stepped inside. My husband, Tom, and I lived on the 5th floor with our two daughters in a unit that overlapped a portion of hers. Elissa was 5-years-old at the time, and Erica was only 3. Needless to say, we were an active tribe, but Rosemary never said a word about our exuberant tumbling and stomping. As the Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago Dance Medium, Rosemary’s reputation as an accomplished dancer/choreographer was well known in our community, but I didn’t know that she also taught children to dance. One day I asked her how I might introduce my girls to dance. She was adamant when she said, “at my school, of course!”
Soon Erica and Elissa began ballet lessons at the Chicago Dance Medium studio in the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. Entering this historic building, then riding the elevator (with an actual elevator operator) to a professional ballet studio became a memorable Saturday morning event. Rosemary mentored Erica and Elissa through 8th grade, then lovingly followed their lives through adulthood. Rosemary’s method of dance instruction not only taught my daughters the meaning of grace, but it instilled incredible confidence that they hold to this day. Rosemary believed in her students, no matter what age. She encouraged and included every one of them while simultaneously creating her own challenging performance pieces. Her works of art often incorporated dancers of all ages and levels, encouraging them TEST
John Doe
John Doe
March 2, 2021