Irene Adler

Irene Adler (née Taylor), 93, a retired violin teacher, formerly of Evanston, died in her sleep on August 7, in Chicago.

Originally from Earlville, NY, Irene’s father was a grocer and her mother played piano for silent movies. She also had a fiddle-playing grandfather, who inspired her to take up violin. Although she characterized her country childhood as idyllic, she was eager for the wider culture of city life.

Irene enrolled at Northwestern University’s School of Music, from which she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance.

She had many fond memories of her college days, and she was particularly nostalgic about Northwestern’s Chapin Hall. Chapin was the co-op dorm for scholarship students, where she washed dishes alongside future surgeons and fellow musicians, formed lifelong friendships with other “Chapin girls,” and where she met her husband, Gerry, a talkative journalism student, at a dance.

Irene and Gerry remained in Evanston, where they raised two daughters, Sarah and Laura. Early in her career, Irene taught music in the Lincolnwood schools and at National Louis University (formerly National College). After the birth of her daughters, Irene shared her love of the violin and music with Chicago area children, giving private lessons in her home. She continued to teach for over 55 years, well into her 80s. She was beloved by students and parents for her warm, encouraging nature, as well as her skilled instruction. In addition to teaching, among Irene’s fondest memories were the summer she played in the Tanglewood student orchestra (though disappointed to miss Leonard Bernstein’s residency by one year), her granddaughter Emma’s frequent visits as a child, and her “storybook childhood,” as her husband called it, filled with maple sugaring, collecting eggs from the family hen, and visits to her grandparents’ farms.

Irene was devoted to her family, her students, her friends, and to the neighborhood in which her daughters grew up. She enjoyed performing chamber music, vacationing in Chautauqua with her husband, engaging in wide-ranging conversations with Brookdale friends, and sharing her love of books and the arts with her husband, daughters and granddaughter. She was selfless, loving and forgiving to a fault. Special thanks to the staff at Brookdale Lake View in Chicago for their warmth, care, and dedication. She loved Brookdale, and she was heartbroken to learn it would close.

Irene was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Gerald “Gerry” Adler, and she is survived by daughters Sarah (Art) Hoskins of Lexington, KY, and Laura Adler of Chicago; granddaughter Emma Hoskins of Snoqualmie, WA; sister-in-law Dolores (Al) Erlebacher; niece Darcy (Alan) Gans; and nephews Steve and Ross Erlebacher.

Memorial Service: Saturday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m., Unitarian Church of Evanston, 1330 Ridge Ave. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Chicago Symphony Orchestra or PAWS Chicago.