Deaths: Leane Dostaler

Leane Dostaler was a “model teacher” at the Tutorium in Intensive English.

Leane Dostaler, 35, “a model teacher, trusted friend and integral part of the Tutorium in Intensive English,” died Oct. 24 after complications from surgery.

“Leane Dostaler was dearly loved by her students for her contagious smile, quick wit, inner strength and the rigor and excellence she expected from them,” said colleague Dave Onufrock, Tutorium curriculum coordinator.

A UIC graduate, she received her bachelor’s in French in 2002 and master’s in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages(TESOL)/applied linguistics in 2004.

As an undergraduate research assistant in the English department, she received the Sarah Kabbes Award for undergraduate research in 2002.

During her graduate studies, she was a tutor and assistant director of the UIC Writing Center, chairperson of the Writing Center Student Advisory Board and a teaching assistant in the English department.

After receiving her master’s degree, she became a lecturer in the Tutorium in Intensive English, where she mentored graduate students. She was the Tutorium liaison between instructors and the program’s Student Assisted Instructional Lab.

“We all have memories of her dedication to teaching, her commitment to her students, her generous spirit, her love of her family and being a mother, her friendship and her courage,” said Tutorium director Diane Highland.

“There will always be her voice at our staff table encouraging us to see clearly what is important in life.”

She was always willing to provide a shoulder to lean on, said Tutorium lecturer Adrian Ortiz.

“She’s left me with an example of how to better live my life and what it means to be a colleague, a friend and a human being,” he said.

She is survived by her husband, Will Macdonald, and their 1-year-old daughter, Eleanor Anjali.

A UIC memorial service was held Oct. 27 in Student Center East.