Rosemary Doolas
Interment - Private
Memorial Contributions
Chicago Dancers United 2
00 West Monroe Street, Suite 1150
Chicago, Illinois 60606
www.chicagodancersunited.org
or
Parkinson’s Foundation Greater Illinois Chapter
Attn: Donor Services
200 SE 1st Street Suite 800 Miami, FL 33131
www.parkinson.org/GreaterIllinois
OBITUARY
Rosemary Doolas, nee Horwitz.
Loving mother of Jena (Sam Borries) Doolas. Devoted grandmother of Athena Doolas Borries. Sister of Janice (Robert) Kahn. Dear aunt of Michael Kahn, Robert Kahn, and Jon Kahn. Friend and loved one to many. Longtime member and contributor of the Chicago dance community. She was the Founder and Artistic Director of The Chicago Dance Medium. To keep everyone safe and healthy, the internment service will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Chicago Dancers United 200 West Monroe Street, Suite 1150 Chicago, Illinois 60606, www.chicagodancersunited.org or Parkinson’s Foundation Greater Illinois Chapter Attn: Donor Services 200 SE 1st Street Suite 800 Miami, FL 33131, www.parkinson.org/GreaterIllinois. To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com
GUEST BOOK
I love the photo of Rosemary! I have such wonderful memories. Many festive holiday gatherings at your Dauphine home and our Toledo home! Several fun trips to Steamboat and a particularly memorable one to Austria. She should rest in peace knowing her daughter has become a wonderful person and a great wife and mother.
Love,
Ann
Ann Dronen
Doolas Jena
Liz Sarthy
Jen Smith
Michael Kahn
YVONNE BLACK
Elissa Pociask
She was a good friend and confidant, eager to lend advice and have an opinion. Sometimes those opinions made me reel with laughter, and other times brought me to tears...but isn't that what real life and real friendship is? Not always perfect, but always a piece of your heart. Rosemary molded and crafted large pieces of who I have become as a dancer / teacher. She will continue to live and breathe through every moment in the classroom, every piece of choreography, every story retold. Her teachings have and will continue to inspire the next generation of dancers.
To know and love Rosemary was to know and love a unique person, a genius with her artistry but sometimes struggling to convey her vision. Many times she kept us late at rehearsals practicing over and over again…only to show up the next day and have her say: “I don’t like it, I didn’t teach you that…let’s start over and try again.” (Now we laugh at those times as they are such “Rosemary” moments!) It seemed at times she struggled both as an artist and in relationships. I think that was because of her determination to follow her inspirations. Perhaps sometimes passion clouds our path – all I know is that at the end of the day – I loved Rosemary!!!
I will cherish all the times spent with her: visiting her various apartments for long chats, dinners, cocktails, parties. I loved our phone convers
Ellen Werksman-Smith
I know we are all sad…those that understood her and really embraced her – will be left with a gaping hole in their lives. I know she influenced much of my life, and even now that she is gone – she will continue to do so. I am certain to be asking myself: “What would Rosemary do?” and then maybe concur or do the opposite. (LOL)
I still feel like I could call her tomorrow – or ask her advice, or share a story about my family, or share my excitement over an artistic accomplishment! But I can’t and I will have to be comforted knowing that the last thing we said to each other was “I love you!”
I leave with you now these words from the soundtrack of one of my favorite dances we did with Chicago Dance Medium -
"We're on a Carousel - a crazy carousel - now we go around again we go around, now we spin around we're high above the ground, and down again around and up again around, so high above the ground we feel we have to yell, we're on a Carousel… a crazy Carousel!"
Rest in eternal dancing peace my friend!
Ellen Werksman-Smith
Robert Sloane
dearest “rm”…
hope where you are the lighting is just right, classes are packed, and, there, awaits you a lovely Manhattan, hamburger, and plenty of grand conversations to keep your creative curiosity full…
…this morning, I was missing you so…and, then I remembered your binocular friend… I had a very hefty laugh.
…yesterday, the thought of you moving on to your next adventure, was so heavy…I played a little phillip glass,… I thought of movement and circles of energy and breath…. when I looked up, I saw 403. I smiled…and immediately heard you say “oh, brother!”
…it’s the little things. and, yet, I feel there are so many more big stories to swap…
..you’ll be in my thoughts when I look at the sky… the stage… or a printer. I don’t know why it’s not working, but yes, we can take another look at it.
…I promise to remember “rabbit, rabbit”, to wave when I go past your building…and, to have a little ice cream in my coffee every now and again.
…most of all, I promise to call you and tell you about it. For all the times, “rm”… I love you so.
Yes, I’ll come over for dinner and tell you about Japan one more time. Pizza and Greek salad ..sounds good.
by, the way, these ellipses and lower cases are for you… should we place them here or there? let’s get it right…I think we did. xxoo
Martha B
Alex Doolas
Michelle Legeza
Nicole Donohoe
Tess Mullen
Auntie Doris Gittelson Pryor
Natassa Mavraki
I remember my cousin - how she enjoyed coming to my house with my Aunt Faye for our Christmas celebrations. How she treasured forming relationships with my children and grandchildren and reuniting with my two sisters.
I remember my friend - the book fairs we loved and reminiscing with her as the two of us packed up her Printers Row condo together. I remember the long lunches we had at her favorite Iguana Restaurant and at my favorite, Atwood Café. And I remember the many pizzas we shared at Lu Malnati's on Wabash, sitting under the EL tracks trying to hear each other as the trains went by!
I remember her concern when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and how close she stayed. I remember the "grand" times, and, yes, I remember the hard times when I would not meet her expectations. But we had a bond as family, as cousins and as friends. I will miss that in my life...I will miss her.
Rita LeDuc
We held season opera tickets together for several years. One evening after an opera, Rosemary asked me to drive her to Aunt Faye's rather than to her own home. It was late, but Rosemary felt an urgent need to see her. The urgency was warranted. Aunt Faye passed away hours later.
We shared many delightful dinners together both at our favorite Italian restaurants and at each other's homes. Our dinners always included great food, a drink or two, lots of laughter and conversation. She and I are both opinionated and our opinions were often at odds, but we could tease each other and laugh about it afterwards.
We had a tradition for a few years, getting together on the 4th of July to celebrate by watching fireworks and having hot dogs with all the trimmings. The most memorable 4th was a beautiful summer evening when we were all young enough to walk from our condo to south Michigan Avenue to view the fireworks up close. The last 4th that we got together, a few years ago, we viewed fireworks from afar on Rosemary's Van Buren Street balcony.
To the good times!
Joe LeDuc
Frank Fishella
Bobby Kahn
I have so many fond memories of Rosemary thru the years at your tastefully decorated home on Dauphine , in Crossfields, a fun trip to Michigan with the Katz’s…
We celebrated birthdays, holidays,
Graduations, recitals and so much more together; Your mom did it all in great taste and fun and I am blessed to have been there with her.
I know she will rest in peace knowing that you have become a loving person, daughter, wife and an EXEMPLARY mother.
With much love, Tessie
Tessie Boucouras
She hired me as a hip hop instructor when I moved to Chicago from France. She was the most loving, generous, motherly "boss" I ever had.
We discussed Holy Scriptures and hope for the future. My last conversation with her I told her to pray God and said I would pray too for a specific want she had...she called me back a bit later that day to tell me all excited "it worked! Tania, God answered my prayer!" She went on to relate how God had done so regarding her specific request...I congratulated her and said "so you prayed right? And you saw how God answered correct?" She went on to answer :" yes, I prayed God and told Him to listen carefully to your prayer since I knew you were about to pray for me." I laughed so hard that day...her unique way of thinking, her humor, her laugh, her kindness...we parted with our usual "I love you!" I grab hold of the resurrection hope, will miss her greatly til then...my condolences to her family and friends. All my love to all who are hurting from losing her.
Tania coleman-munuera
I am very sad to learn about Rosemary’s passing. Rosemary was kind and always generous. As a dancer in her company, she became an important mentor early in my career. Her contagious love for dance and encouragement helped shape me as a dance artist. She had high standards and demonstrated the importance of sharing the joys of dance with audiences, especially young audiences. I send you my love and prayers, Jan
Jan Bartoszek
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
Christine Rojek
When I started taking ballet class with Rosemary at the Dance Space, she was around middle age, and there was a group of women all in our twenties who began taking ballet at the same time. Being at the Dance Space was ‘a coming of age’ and this environment enabled us to become our own community. Many of us are still friends today. It was a most memorable time.
Rosemary had such richness of character—her opinions, humor, quick wit, love for dance, and for
the arts helped define her essence. It was marvelous to watch her demonstrate in class, her movement and enthusiasm was spellbinding. I would not know how to ballet if not for Rosemary. She taught me how to move and to want to move.
Rosemary became my friend, confidant and mentor. For a petit person she seemed larger than life. It appeared to me that she was brilliantly informed about so many things in which held my interested— dance, music, film, art, esthetics, travel and of course human nature. She not only taught me to ballet, but she taught me about life. As years passed, I did not spend as much time as I would have liked with her, but when we reunited it was as if time had not passed. It was familiar and comforting. I will
miss my friend, confidant and mentor. My life is richer for having known Rosemary. Rest in peace my
friend.
Joclyn Oats
Angela Moody