CARMEL
Myra Louise Dworski, 73, of Carmel (formerly of Indianapolis) passed away May 15, 2024. She was born in Gillingham, Kent, England on July 11, 1950 to the late Edward (“Ted”) C. Harling and Miriam A. (Zittrauer) Harling. She and her immediate family moved to the USA in December 1953, living first in Charleston SC and then moving north to Indianapolis. Myra graduated from Arlington High School in 1967.
Myra spent the majority of her working career with Temple-Inland and Duke Realty. She studied at Indiana Wesleyan University. She attended St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Indianapolis and Salem Methodist Church, Zionsville IN, and volunteered at the Women’s Prison in Indianapolis.
Myra loved nature, hiking, and animals. She loved spending time in Eagle Creek Park, and spent many hours there doing volunteer work. She was an inquisitive lifelong learner.
Myra’s passion was music. Her love of music began in elementary school with the Tonette at IPS 57. She then saved baby sitting money and bought her first guitar from Sears, Roebuck. She loved to teach others to play the fiddle and conducted a beginning fiddler’s workshop for many years at the Indiana Fiddler’s Gathering. She devoted more than 35 years to playing music, teaching, and singing as a volunteer in the Pioneer Village at the Indiana State Fair. Among her many activities in Pioneer Village, Myra was a cast member of the multi-year re-creation of the WLS National Barn Dance radio show, and participated in several of the history plays directed by Rita Kohn. She taught workshops and participated at numerous music festivals in the central Indiana area. She joined the Central Indiana Folk Music Society in 1987, serving throughout the years as a board member, music coordinator, and set leader.
Myra is survived by her sister Janis (Stephen) Lewman of Fountaintown IN, her aunt Gloria Zittrauer of Jacksonville FL, and nieces Andrea (Patrick) Gorman of Brownsburg IN and Heather (Ronnie) Pierce of Danville IN.
Special appreciation is extended to Christina McCann for her help during Myra’s last years. Traveling the Alzheimer’s highway is never easy but Christina knew how to guide us along the way. Thanks also to the dedicated staff at Brookdale Memory Care in Carmel who helped make Myra’s life as enjoyable as possible.
Myra believed in living her life the best she could, then exiting quietly. Per her wishes, there will be no funeral service. A celebration of her life will be held later this summer.
Her friends and fellow musicians are encouraged to gather and celebrate in their own way, keeping her memory and her love of life and music going. Do your part to share the love of music with others – teach someone – young or elderly. No flowers please, but other memorial contributions may be sent to the charity of the donor’s choice, or Pioneer Village at the Indiana State Fair, The Indianapolis Humane Society, The Indianapolis Zoo, The Eagle Creek Park Foundation, or WFYI Public Media.
