June 30, 1928 - February 2, 2025
Lois Choksy was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and spent many happy childhood summers on Ocracoke with her grandparents.
Her teaching career began in Baltimore (1950-1973), where she was soon assigned to teach music. This led to further studies in Hungary and then to writing "The Kodály Method," her first publication. Subsequently, as she continued to teach both children and teachers, she wrote several further texts that are, many years later, still being used.
In the early 70's she and her husband Lee Choksy built a house on the Caribbean Island of Sint Eustatius where she volunteered to teach music in the schools (1973-1978) and later enjoyed many winters for the rest of her life.
She moved to San Francisco to teach at Holy Names College (1973-1979) and finally, in 1979, to the University of Calgary, where she developed a Master's Programme and a Summer Diploma Programme that attracted students from all over Canada and abroad. She considered her crowning achievement to have been the acceptance of Kodály studies as a credible degree concentration from undergraduate school through the doctorate. She became Head of the Music Department in 1992 and retired in 1998 at the age of 70.
An internationally recognized authority on the Kodály Method, Lois lectured widely in North America, Europe, Australia and Taiwan. She was a founding member of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), the International Kodály Society (IKS) and the Alberta Kodály Association (AKA), and was president 1984-8 of the Kodály Society of Canada (KSC). She was on the Board of the International Kodaly Society (IKS) from 1983-1992. In 2001, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by The University of Lethbridge.
For the past 25 years, she operated Caprice Bed and Breakfast with her friend and colleague, Jeanette Panagapka, in the picturesque fishing village of Gibsons Landing, British Columbia.
Lois was predeceased by her husband and her son, George. She leaves behind many students, colleagues, family and friends who loved her dearly.
For the many who knew her, she exuded a joy of life springing from her enthusiasm for the beauties of life, friends, nature, music, art, dance, food, books, and from her enduring curiosity.
