Mary Ludeman Dowell, 80, whose career as a classical singer and voice teacher spanned more than 60 years, died Thursday, Jan. 11, of cancer in her Evanston home. In the late 1940s, Mrs. Dowell performed operetta pieces with choruses on local and national radio programs, said her daughter, Kathy Franke. Mrs. Dowell also was a soprano soloist for choirs in several houses of worship, including St. James Episcopal Church in Chicago, Northminster Presbyterian Church in Evanston and the Baha’i Temple in Wilmette. A career highlight came in the early 1960s, when Mrs. Dowell performed as a soloist for two successive years in Handel’s “Messiah” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Orchestra Hall. “She loved beautiful things. My mother was a very aesthetic person and music was her first love,” her daughter said. Mrs. Dowell, born in Columbus, Ohio, began taking piano lessons at age 7. She sang in church choirs while in high school and was selected to sing in a symphonic choir at Ohio State University. She moved to Chicago in 1946 and taught voice at Evanston Township High School from 1960 until the early 1980s. She continued to teach voice from her Evanston home until her death. “It wasn’t just that she knew about technique; she made singing fun. Her love of music was very much communicated to whoever studied with her,” said Belinda Glass, who studied under Mrs. Dowell. “She was a real teacher in that she encouraged you to keep going. … She didn’t want the focus on her; she was always interested in the other person.” Besides her daughter, Mrs. Dowell is survived by a stepdaughter, Christine; a brother, George Snively; a sister, Myra; and three grandchildren. A memorial service was held Wednesday in Evanston.
