NAUJOKAITIS, DALIA MARIJA March 25, 1944 - March 20, 2015 Died peacefully in hospital in Ottawa, Ontario after a valiant battle with cancer, shortly before her 71st birthday. Born in Ukmerge in German-occupied Lithuania, daughter of Pranas Naujokaitis, an educator and author, and Antonina Uzupis, a nurse from a family of farmers and bankers. When she was a babe in arms her family fled the Soviet reoccupation of Lithuania, sheltered in the Berlin underground during the final assault on the German capital, then found refuge with cousins in the Augustdorf displaced persons' camp, near Detmold, in the postwar British occupation zone. As a child Dalia chased geese by the River Weser and led other DP camp children off to play among burned-out tanks. Coming to America on Columbus Day in 1949, the family lived in Brooklyn, New York, where Dalia's father Pranas washed bottles in a laboratory while running a Lithuanian school, editing a children's magazine, composing novels and poetry in his native tongue, and writing the history of Lithuanian literature. Tragically, Dalia's mother Nina died when her daughter was only eight. Dalia became cook and homemaker for the family while completing the full high school curriculum in both Lithuanian and English. At age 17 she won a scholarship in the state university Regents' examinations, but abandoned it to enter the convent of the Lithuanian Sisters in Putnam, Connecticut, where she had worked as a summer camp counsellor. Dalia completed her first university year at nearby Annhurst College, but found that the religious life was not for her. In 1962 she came to Canada as the protégée of Dr. Agatha Sidlauskas of the University of Ottawa, founder of its Child Study Centre, where Dalia worked until 1967. Her higher education in Ottawa included a year of teacher training, a B.A. in Art History, a B.Ed. with specializations in special education and in computers in education (a subject she later taught for the University of Ottawa), and a Master's degree with focus on gifted education. An enthusiastic educator with a passion for young minds, Dalia did all her studies part-time while working as a practising teacher in the classroom. Except for a year teaching music 1972-1973 in a Jewish school in London, England, she made her career in the elementary panel of the Ottawa Roman Catholic School Board, 1968-2008. From 1986 she pioneered an innovative Program for Gifted Learners, based on online learning collaborations with schools in 28 countries; its student websites and projects won many awards. Visiting fellow at Queen's University Faculty of Education, Kingston, Ontario, 1996-1997. Also self-employed as educational consultant to Schoolnet Canada and to the Ontario Ministry of Education. Dalia never really retired, but continued working as an adaptive technology specialist for the learning disabled, 2010-2015. She also worked overseas between 1999 and 2012 through international conferences and exchanges in the fields of educational computing, collaborative online learning and information literacy. Her international professional activities took her to Europe, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, and her practical scholarly contributions and friendship will be missed especially by colleagues in Latvia, Germany and Russia. Many publications. Ottawa Woman of Distinction Award in Education, Canadian Teachers' Federation National Award for Innovations in Teaching, two Prime Minister's Awards and Governor General's Award Finalist for Teaching Excellence, Global Schoolnet Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. Married 1972 to Maurice Lewis of London and Ottawa, divorced 1991. Survived by him and deeply mourned by their two children, Ilona Rima Naujokaitis-Lewis, born 1975, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Emma Kristina Tova Naujokaitis, born 1978, of Montreal, as well by Emma`s husband Andrew Blakeslee. Forever Nana to the delight of her last years, her grandchild Laurel Eliana, born 2013. Dalia is mourned also by her brother Gediminas and his wife Isabelle of Woodbridge, Virginia, by their sons Pranas and Juozas, by her cousin Dalia Keblinskaite of Toronto, and by numerous other cousins in the United States and Lithuania. She leaves behind many grieving friends in Canada and abroad, and is especially missed by her helper of 29 years and companion in international work, Francis Kirkwood of Ottawa. Cremation this week, followed by a memorial Mass and reception at Resurrection of our Lord Catholic Church, 1940 Saunderson Drive, Ottawa, on Saturday, March 28 at 11 a.m. Interment later in Prince Edward Island. March 25, 2015