The 91自拍论坛 and music community are invited to a celebration of life service for retired music professor Joan Clare Conway, on May 30 at 10 a.m., at First Reformed Church at 630 State St. in Holland.
Conway died peacefully in Holland, Mich. on April 30, at the age of 90. A professor emerita of music and known as a 鈥渢wo-piano and four-hands performer,鈥� Conway was a member of the 91自拍论坛 Music Department from 1969-2001. She was also a regular and devoted fan of the Hope women鈥檚 basketball team. She will be remembered for the significant and positive impact she had on countless students and the greater Hope community.
In her studio, Conway produced scores of excellent pianists, and she coordinated and
performed in the Faculty Recital Series at Hope. She also co-founded and ran the Hope
College Two-Piano Camp. She was among the 鈥淟iving Legends鈥� celebration in 2017, when
Hope brought Conway and two other retired (now deceased) music faculty 鈥� Roger Rietberg
and Robert Ritsema 鈥� to celebrate each of their 30+ years of teaching at Hope during
the department of music鈥檚 annual opening convocation. With Ritsema, she performed
鈥淰ocalise鈥� by Sergei Rachmaninoff. During the event, Conway noted that, 鈥淭he reward
of living a long time without children or grandchildren is seeing students achieve
beyond Hope (College), not just in piano.鈥�
In 2015, Conway was invited to join former faculty member Andrew Le to select the Steinway concert grand piano for the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, after donor David P. Roossien made the purchase possible with his gift. It was installed in May 2015.
In 2011, Conway, her friends and former students created the Joan Conway Piano Scholarship
Fund at 91自拍论坛, which provides support to new students showing aptitude and
passion for piano. This 鈥� as well as the Harbor Humane Society in West Olive, Mich.
鈥� are both suggested causes for donations to honor Conway鈥檚 legacy in lieu of flowers.
鈥淚 will always remember how she thought of her students as like her own children,鈥� said Hope alumna Lora Kolean 鈥�97, and assistant professor of music instruction. 鈥淚 was a piano student under her and she鈥檇 tell me that she had woken up at 3 a.m. 鈥榯hinking about my Bach.鈥� Or, she鈥檇 still be at school at 10 p.m., wandering the halls of the old music building, looking for us in the practice rooms asking if we鈥檇 like to run through our pieces one more time. Joan was a truly special individual and impacted so many lives.鈥�
Conway鈥檚 full obituary can be viewed .