Dr. Patrice Dawn Madura Ward-Steinman Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Dr. Patrice Dawn Madura Ward-Steinman, 68, passed to eternal life on June 4 at Hospice House in Bloomington, IN, surrounded by the love of family and friends after suffering a severe stroke. She was born on May 19, 1952, in Hammond, Indiana, to Michael and Henrietta (Kaminski) Madura. She was a graduate of Sacred Heart School and Clark High School and held degrees from Indiana State University (BSME), San Diego State University (MA), and Indiana University (DME). Patrice was a Professor of Music Education at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she taught and advised undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students in choral music education, vocal jazz, and research. She was Music Education Department Chair in the Jacobs School from 2003-2007. Prior to returning to Indiana in 2003, she was Chair and Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Her career also included teaching musical theatre, piano, choral and music education, and conducting at Oberlin College, Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Fort Bragg School District, Elliot Pope Preparatory School and Mira Costa College. Patrice has published numerous research articles and books on music education and vocal jazz improvisation, including Becoming a Choral Music Teacher (2018) and Madura’s Danceland (2010). She was a member of the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education editorial board. Patrice loved playing the piano and enlivened many gatherings with her beautiful music. As a teen, she worked at her family’s business, Madura’s Danceland, a beautiful maple-floored ballroom in the Robertsdale section of Hammond, just a few miles from Chicago, where patrons danced to the music of famous big bands who also played the hotels and ballrooms in Chicago. She and her beloved husband, composer and professor, Dr. David Ward-Steinman, whom she married in 2001, traveled extensively and delighted many with their musical talent performing as Duo-Pianists at art galleries, weddings and parties. She was a wine enthusiast and won a California wine-tasting championship in 1987. Patrice was a beloved sister, aunt, colleague, author, teacher, mentor, and friend and will be missed by many. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and sister-in-law, Charlene Madura. She is survived by her brother, Michael Madura, sister Marcia (Dr. Daniel) Madura Kozlowski, nieces and nephews Michele (Shawn) Leeney, Michael (Sherrie) Madura, Dr. Kimberly (James) Mercurio, and Daniel (Sarah) Kozlowski as well as great-nephews and nieces Kurt and Cara Leeney, Tiffany, Trisha, Michael and Kylie Madura, Julia, Peter, Thomas and James Mercurio and Lila, Grace and Bracken Kozlowski. She is also survived by her stepson Matthew (Maureen) Ward-Steinman and step-grandchildren Isabella, Gabriel and Evelyn and many colleagues, students, and friends with whom she shared her life. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, services will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to the Patrice Madura Scholarship, which will support students majoring in Music Education at the IU Jacobs School of Music. To make an online gift, please click here at ( https://www.myiu.org/one-time-gift ). In the box with the pencil icon that says "write in gift area," please type “Patrice Madura Scholarship” and select “Add Fund.” Your email receipt may say "Donor Designated - Holding" but your gift will be applied to the Patrice Madura Scholarship. Alternatively, checks may be made out to the IU Foundation, with “Patrice Madura Scholarship” written in the memo line, in c/o the IU Foundation, P.O Box 6460, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6460. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenfuneralhome.org.

Tributes

Dr. Patrice Dawn Madura Ward-Steinman

May 19, 1952 - June 4, 2020