Steven A. Shumway 1955-2001
Services notice from the Lawrence Journal World - Thursday, January 18, 2001
Oxford, Ohio — A concert to celebrate the life of Steven A. Shumway, 45, Oxford, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, at Hall Auditorium, Miami University of Oxford.
Seven members of one of Lawrence's most musical families will come together to perform a program of chamber music June 16 as a benefit for the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.
But when three generations of Shumways, plus two daughters-in-law, take the stage to play Josquin, Mozart and Schumann, they'll also be paying tribute to a family member who can no longer perform with them.
Steven Shumway a professor of cello at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio died at the age of 45 in December 2000 of cancer.
"I think we all wanted to do this program as a tribute to Steven. It's our way of remembering him. He loved to play, and he wanted to involve all of us," said Jan Shumway, Steven Shumway's mother, a musician who has taught piano in Lawrence for 35 years.
Steven Shumway was the oldest of five children, four of whom are trained musicians. All of the children in the family earned their undergraduate degrees at Kansas University.
"The primary thing is to remember Steven and to honor him with a program. He was the originator and promoter of the Shumway family concerts," said Stan Shumway, Steven Shumway's father and a retired professor of music theory at KU.
The Shumway family began presenting chamber music concerts in 1984, performing on mini tours in Kansas in 1985-1987. Local venues included the Lawrence Arts Center, Presbyterian Manor, Lawrence High School and KU's Swarthout Recital Hall.
Another reason the Shumways wanted to organize a musical program at the arts center is to thank the people in Lawrence who offered their support to the family during Steven Shumway's illness.
Mr. Shumway died Dec. 23, 2000, at University Hospital, Cincinnati.