In Memoriam: Po’o Kula Lee Ann DeLima
Photo by Ka Leo o Nā Koa
Poʻo Kula Lee Ann DeLima, beloved head of school
Po’o Kula Lee Ann DeLima, headmaster of Kamehameha Schools Maui, passed on quietly on Saturday, Nov. 7, after an intense, yet brief health battle.
Update: Two services have been scheduled. Aloha attire is requested at both.
Friday, November 20
Location: Kamehameha Schools Maui- Keōpūolani Hale
Visitation: 5:30pm
Service: 6:30pm
Saturday, November 21
Location: LDS Maui Lani Stake Center, 1300 Maui Lani Parkway, Kahului
Visitation: 9:00am
Service: 12:30pm
Burial: 2:00pm, Maui Memorial Park
Po’o Kula DeLima
This biographical material is taken from Po’o Kula’s school blog profile:
“Lee Ann DeLima began her career at Kamehameha Schools Maui in October 1999 as Vice-Principal/Counselor. [She] has served in various roles at KS Maui – from 2001 to 2006, she has served as Interim K-8 Principal, Middle School Principal, Interim High School Principal and Acting Headmaster. In December 2006, [Mrs. DeLima] was appointed Poʻo Kula (Head of School) for Kamehameha Schools Maui.
[Her] career in education began at Maunaloa Elementary School on the island of Moloka‘i. [Po’o Kula] has been a teacher, a summer school director for the Kamehameha Schools/State Department of Education, and a Hawaiian Studies Resource teacher. Prior to joining Kamehameha Schools Maui, [she] was Vice Principal at Baldwin High School.
Mrs. DeLima is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University of Hawai‘i, a Masters of Science degree in Educational Administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and [was] working towards her doctoral degree with the University of Phoenix. [She was] married to Henry DeLima and they have three children: two of whom have graduated from KS Maui; a ’11 graduate attending University of Hawaiʻi Maui College and an ’08 graduate attending Brigham Young University of Hawaiʻi at Lāʻie; and a graduate of Maui High School, employed in the restaurant business.”
Update: Mr. and Mrs. DeLima also recently welcomed the birth of their first grandson.
Ka Leo o Nā Koa grieves the loss of this energetic, caring, and optimistic school leader, who was a strong supporter of the scholastic journalism program at Kamehameha Maui.
In our role as a public forum, we encourage our ʻohana and readership to contribute to this posting by sharing memories, messages, and well wishes in the comments section below.
A hui hou, Mrs. DeLima.
Donald Sato Jr. • Nov 21, 2015 at 7:03 pm
My sincere condolences to the Family of Lee Ann DeLima and her students at Kamehameha Schools – Maui Campus. I first met Po’o Kula Delima while visiting the campus with other Regional Presidents of Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association. She welcomed us and took us personally on a tour of the campus. When she spoke about the campus , you could see the passion and pride she had in the staff and students and the beautiful campus (still under construction on some of the buildings). It was also evident the students and staffed loved and respected her for your leadership, caring nature and genuine mother/teacher/principal/aunty personality only she could have.
I am saddened to hear of her passing and we will all miss her dearly. Kamehameha Schools – Maui Legacy lives on because of her. I believe Ke Ali’i Pauahi is very pleased with Po’o Kula Delima and will greet her and embrace her for a job well done. She was a very industrious servant leader to our Hawaiian Children and Community.
Let us all strive to be like her fine example!
Imua Kamehameha!
Donald Sato Jr. KSK ’81
President
Kamehameha Alumni Association – Southern California Region
Dr. Warren Hitz • Nov 18, 2015 at 3:09 pm
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Mrs. DeLima’s passing. She was a very special person who led by example. Her legacy will live on and all who knew her are better for the experience. I will miss her but will smile in admiration each time her name crosses my mind. Mahalo and Aloha Mrs. DeLima.
Wanda Beppu :-) • Nov 17, 2015 at 10:04 am
Lee Ann was a special person from the beginning. I first had the blessed opportunity of working with her when we brought up the Pukalani Campus Elem School buildings back in 1999-2000. She was always a joy to work with and her enthusiasm for education and the care of the Kamehameha children was bar none. She was a kindred spirit putting always others before herself. Thru the years I’ve enjoyed working with her, Dr. Chamberlain and Kim Thomas as we brought up the rest of the campus: MS, HS and performing Arts building. Little did I know when I last saw and embraced her in June 2015 at the IT Education Tech Day in Honolulu that this would be the last time. She will be sorely missed but we know she is free of pain and walking amongst the Field of Angels and looking down upon all of us. Aloha e, Wanda 🙂
Teresann Makaiwi Taua • Nov 11, 2015 at 7:27 pm
LeeAnn and I were best of friends at Kamehameha Kapalama campus especially in our sophomore year in 1975. The two of us and Eva Chang hung out together daily. She taught me courage and built my confidence as a friend and was always the one to crack jokes and make us laugh. We had so many incidents that we shared, but I will always remember her smile and how she was so positive and happy. As a boarder, Lee I will forever remember an incident after Song Contest when we hitched a ride to a class party but our ride left us a couple of miles short of our destination. That walk was one I will never forget as we talked about things that were important to us and what we wanted to do in our future and how we wanted to make our families proud. We separated after we graduated but met again at a Stake Conference in Kahului in 1995 shocked that we had both joined the church. We were surprised to both be in education and she later became Vice Principal for my children at Baldwin High School where we saw each other often. We had crossed paths at church functions many times but when I moved to Oahu I had not seen her for years. I will treasure our last encounter at her child’s graduation from BYU Hawaii where I saw her sitting 2 rows ahead of me. I got up to greet her and she embraced me so tight and told me, ” You made my day”. We departed as I told her I loved her. I will forever be grateful for that moment. I will miss you my friend and sister. Have a beautiful journey to your eternal heavenly home! Manuia le malaga, a hui hou!
Stanley Fortuna, Jr. • Nov 10, 2015 at 10:47 am
Mrs. DeLima was professional, unflappable yes, and clearly gifted with the largest of Hawaiian hearts! It was my honor to work with Lee Ann for several yeas as a fellow Po’ Kula once she had assumed that position for Kamehameha Schools Maui.. She provided the balance, demeanor, and heart so important to leading. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to Henry and her entire ‘ohana, now and always. A hui hou, Lee Ann, a hui hou.
MaryAnn Jenness • Nov 9, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Dear Henry,
Please accept my heartfelt condolences in the loss of your wife. I am so very sorry. I shall keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. Take care. MaryAnn Jenness
Kumu Hula Shawna Ngum Alapa'i • Nov 9, 2015 at 11:41 am
I first met Po’o Kula LeeAnn DeLima when in 7th grade, playing basketball for Kailua Recreation Center. We played together and were undefeated for 4 years. LeeAnn was my bff back then. I loved her soft and gentle Spirit, and her fierce and focused talents on the basketball court! She and I would ride in her yellow Volkswagen Bug and deliver the newspaper around Kailua when she got her drivers license. I admired her beautiful Light that shined so brightly in the world! She was my brother’s classmate at Kamehameha Schools. I saw her again when she first moved to Maui sometime in 1985, when I was Miss Maui. She will be deeply missed! Sending my deepest and warmest Aloha to her family Rest in Loving Peace, dear friend.
Kelly E. Duell • Nov 9, 2015 at 10:29 am
Mahalo Nui Lee Ann for recruiting me and bringing me to Maui, which became my home. The second I stepped on Maui, I knew it was where I belonged, as if I was finally coming home. Lee Ann made that possible, and I will be grateful for that for my life. Rest in peace.
Hamilton McCubbin • Nov 9, 2015 at 10:05 am
There are special people in our lives who stand out because they have those special qualities of love of children, dedication to education, compassion, warmth, passion and a vision for their futures. Mrs. DeLima is a special person.
She greeted me on my first visit to the Maui campus filled with excitement and anxious to share the wonders of their program. She wanted me to look into the heart of what she and her colleagues developed and continued to create. Yes, the view from the campus was spectacular. Yes, the buildings were magnificent, “But look at our kids and what a difference we are making in their lives.” She loved her campus and wanted all who visited to know. She offered quiet but determined leadership as it moved forward in shaping the campus’s future. I could not help but feel the passion and depth of her commitment to this campus and its educational mission. In the year 2000, the question she and others pondered was: Would KS Maui to be a foundation-building campus that fed students into the Kapalama Campus on Ohau or be its own K-12 program with its own identity and graduates who would branch out into the world as exemplars of Pauahi’s hope for them? Mrs. DeLima was clear and unequivocal about “her” children and their futures and wanted to be certain I understood and shared her dreams. She saw her children as KS Maui graduates who would represent the island, Kamehameha, and Pauahi with a unique sense of pride and hope for the future to those of Hawaiian Ancestry.
It was my honor to serve her and the teachers and experience first-hand — her contributions to the lives of the children she taught and led. She brought honor and pride to the KS-Maui campus. Her vision will be carried on forever.
Mahalo Mrs. DeLima
Imua Kamehameha.
Jessica Kim • Nov 9, 2015 at 9:17 am
Our hearts and prayers have been with the DeLima Ohana since we heard this heartbreaking news. We send all our love to those affected by Mrs. DeLima’s passing including family, friends, and our Kamehameha Maui Ohana. ??
Ke'van Dudoit • Nov 9, 2015 at 8:49 am
Anake LeeAnn welcomed me to Kamehameha Maui with open arms and lots of aloha when I first got hired to announce in 2011 and it saddens me to hear of her passing. I first met her when my Principal at Lahainaluna, Mr. Nakano and I attended a water polo match at the Kihei Aquatic Center back in 2007. Her presence will be greatly missed but her spirit shall remain deep in everyone’s hearts forever. Announcing at KSM will never be the same, always looked forward to talking with her after the games were completed. RIP Anake LeeAnn Delima…
Debbie Kalehuawehe Mahuna • Nov 9, 2015 at 8:20 am
My grandson goes to Kamehameha School Maui and I was do sadden when I received the call about her passing. I have never met her but heard her speak in front of a group. After receiving the call and reading all this mana’o I can feel that she was a leader with alot of Aloha. May Ke Akua’s Blessings be upon her family and May she Rest In Love. Me Ke Aloha Pumehana ame Ke Akua Pu. Aloha Po’o Kula Lee Ann DeLima.
Andrea Kaumeheiwa • Nov 9, 2015 at 8:12 am
As a fellow employee of the Hawai’i Department of Education, Lee Ann DeLima was the coworker that you wanted in your corner. She was friendly, unflappable, positive, and always professional. She maintained those spectacular traits when she transferred to Kamehameha Schools Maui. Even though she was in a new school environment, she never forgot her “roots” and friends in the DOE.
Lee Ann’s most impressive trait was her intense, single-minded devotion to the education of children. Her goal was that every child become a positive, productive member of our society and our world. To this end, she dedicated her life.
We have lost a loving woman; a perceptive, intelligent Hawaiian; and a profound educator. That she will be missed is an understatement. Aloha and mahalo nui loa, Lee Ann, for all that you were and all that you accomplished for all of us.
Amanda Lee • Nov 9, 2015 at 8:12 am
I started KS schools in the sixth grade. It was a wild adjustment to make, and I was very shy. I used to get dropped off to school early in the mornings, and I would sit on a bench reading a book alone until school began. One day though, Mrs. DeLima saw me sitting alone in the early hours before school and she sat with me. She asked me what I was reading and how I was doing in school. From that day on, it became a tradition of sorts that Mrs.DeLima would stop by my bench to chat with me for a little bit about my newest book and check in on how I was doing in school. She would invite me into the office to hang out there in winter so I wouldn’t be cold, and she always had time to spare a kind word. When I graduated from Middle school, Mrs. DeLima told me that she would also be moving to high school with me to start her position as Po’o Kula. Mrs. DeLima has been in my life for all of my KS highlights. She encouraged me and complimented me in my work for Ka Leo O Na Koa and continued to be a valuable friend. Rest in love, Po’o Kula and thank you so much for the impact you made in my life.
Sherye RLT Kuhia • Nov 9, 2015 at 7:28 am
God bless you Mrs. DeLima as you now rest peacefully in His loving arms. We will all miss your kind and loving spirit! Thank you for always being so very supportive to everyone and for being such a wise, gentle, intelligent and lovely leader to so many people on Maui. We all appreciate and loved you so very much!
Falen Puli • Nov 8, 2015 at 8:55 pm
I first met Mrs. DeLima when I started as a Freshman at KSM. While I may not have had that close of a relationship with her, she never failed to say hello and have little chats with me or anyone else for that matter. Her countenance and her spirit was felt throughout the school. When she spoke, rather it be directly to you of in front of the whole school, Her voice had a way of touching you as it was gentle and kind, always. Alofa atu Mrs. DeLima, Manuia Lou Malaga. Love from the 684. – Falen Puli c/o 2009
Jason Fukushima • Nov 8, 2015 at 7:36 pm
Mrs. DeLima was such a huge part of my life. My earliest memories of her were in kindergarten about 15 years ago. I believe she was vice principal at the time. She always had a smile on her face and her presence was always very calming. She always took the time to get to know each and every student. I remember a time in elementary when my family’s car broke down in front of Foodland and we just so happened to run into her. She was so kind and offered us help. It was definitely in high school though where I got to see her the most. While helping the varsity girls volleyball team with her husband coach Henry I saw her all the time. She would always thank me for helping out athletics. Even after I graduated she was still extremely supportive. I remember last December when I came to her to ask for a recommendation for the UH Mānoa college of education. She of course said yes. She also told me she’d be waiting for me when I graduated. I never knew if she was joking or not, but I knew that she definitely supported me. I’m so greatful to have met such a wonderful human being. She will forever have a place in my heart. Rest in love Poʻo Kula Lee Ann DeLima.
Kaulike Pescaia • Nov 8, 2015 at 4:13 pm
I first met Aunty Lee Ann when I started attending Kamehameha Schools in the 6th Grade. I remember that every single time I saw her, she was always all smiles, always had positive energy, and she was so easy to talk to about anything in the world. Whether I saw her outside of school or on campus, she always had so much aloha to share with the world. If I ever needed to talk to her about anything, she was ALWAYS there to help me through it. She always knew how to take something negative and make it into a positive. My family and I grew very fond of her and we appreciate her so much. Her ʻohana is FILLED with beautiful people with so much aloha. I feel so blessed to have been able to meet such an awesome ʻohana and I can’t send out enough of my love to them. I wish I could hug her one more time and tell her how much I appreciate and love her. I think I can speak for the rest of the students that knew her when I say that she was an amazing, strong, smart, hard working woman and somehow, she managed to juggle all of her work and still make time to share with all of us. I’m really going to miss this awesome lady.