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Friday, February 26, 2021
Kathleen Marie McNamara
Age: 76
City: Fairfax
Funeral Date
private
Funeral Home
Teahen Funeral Home
Friday, February 26, 2021
Kathleen Marie McNamara
KATHLEEN MARIE MCNAMARA
Fairfax
Kathleen Marie McNamara, 76, of Fairfax, died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, following a long illness. Private family services will be held. Burial: St. Patrick Cemetery, Fairfax. Per Covid guidelines, attendees are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Kathleen is survived by her brother, David McNamara of Fairfax; sister, Linda Earley of Cedar Rapids; daughters, Phaedra McNamara, Jenny McNamara, Jolene Salehoglu and her children, Syriana and Alessandra and Justine Baldwin; many cousins; her friends, Bethel and Larry Sylvester, Bob Assink, Mary and Terry Ley; and countless other friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; longtime friend, Spencer Pink; brother-in-law, Patrick Earley; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Kathleen was born on April 2, 1944, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of David and Evalena Sampson McNamara. Kathleen's love of the arts started as young as kindergarten. She was fond of singing, making up songs and creating dances. Kathleen, Linda and David were part of their own ensemble known as McNamara's Band, performing at community events throughout Eastern Iowa. Kathleen studied dance through her childhood, started her own dance studio at the age of 12 in Fairfax and taught dance lessons at the YWCA in Cedar Rapids and Marion throughout her college years. She attended St. Patrick's Grade School, graduated in 1962 from Regis High School, from Mount Mercy College with a BA in Music in 1966, and in 1997, she received a MA from the University of Iowa in Music. Kathleen furthered her studies in dance from: Irene Ilten School of Dance, Dieman & Bennett Dance Academy, the University Of Iowa Department of Dance, the Martha Graham School of Dance, New York, the Independent Dance Studies of the Shaker Village in Grey, Minn., and studied dance of local cultures throughout Kentucky and New England. She also furthered her music studies by receiving the Carl Orff Music Teaching Method Certification 1983, the Recorder Studies, Ithaca College, New York, the Dalcroze Eurythmics Method, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill., the Recorder and Renaissance Dance at Hampshire College, Connecticut, and the Iowa State Children's Classroom Music Studies.
Kathleen was a K-12 Music teacher at Alburnett Schools from 1966 to 1973, an Elementary Music Specialist, Coolidge Elementary from 1973 to 2004, and a Cedar Rapids School District Choreographer.
She founded the Education Dance Theater of Cedar Rapids, wrote and produced 30 children's musicals, including the Children's Nutcracker. She choreographed more than 150 productions amongst the Cedar Rapids Community Schools, Theater Cedar Rapids, Coe College Theatre, 4th of July Freedom Festival and the Follies. Kathleen was involved in many school sssembly concerts, sing-alongs and all-school year-end concerts. She worked tirelessly with the Bi-Centennial All-School Concert: The Parade of States, the Spring Fling concerts at Taft Middle School, the International Amana Agricultural Expo Choir, organized music when the FINE Award was presented to Coolidge School by Governor Terry Branstad and was present when the Coolidge Kids sang "Public School USA" for former President and Mrs. George Bush.
She was a member of the Beethoven Club, the 4-H Club of Fairfax, Mother of Perpetual Help, member and Vice President of the National Catholic Society of Foresters, and St. John XXIII Catholic Church.
Kathleen was an avid gardener and especially liked roses. She loved time with her family at their cabin at Delhi Lake. Kathleen with be missed by those who knew and love her.
Our family would like thank Dr. Jasmine Nabi for Kathleen's cancer care, and staff at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy for their kind and supportive care in Kathleen's final days.
Memorials may be directed to family to be donated to Kathleen's favorite charities.
Online condolences can be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.