Kamehameha Schools Maui Po‘o Kula Lee Ann DeLima passed away Saturday, Nov. 7, surrounded by her family.

Funeral services have been set for Friday, Nov. 20, at 5:30 p.m., at Keōpūolani Hale on the KS Maui campus, and on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m., at the LDS Maui Lani Stake Center, in Kahului.

DeLima was the po‘o kula (head of school) at KS Maui since 2006. She also served in various roles as principal or interim principal of the K-8 program, the middle school and high school, after coming to KS Maui as a vice principal/counselor in 1999. Prior to joining KS, she was vice principal at Lāhainaluna High School.

“For those of us who had the privilege of working with Lee Ann and experiencing the strength and aloha she brought to our Maui campus community and to our entire leadership team, the feeling of loss is immense,” Kamehameha Schools CEO Jack Wong said.

Stepping in as the acting headmaster from April of 2006, DeLima was the po‘o kula for KS Maui’s first 10 graduating classes. Under her leadership, the school implemented a one-to-one technology program which extended to iPads for all elementary students this school year, and its student newspaper, Ka Leo o Nā Koa, won numerous state and national awards.

Also during her tenure, 27 KS Maui educators earned certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The Kamehameha Schools Education System has 67 certified teachers, more than any other private school system in the nation.

“Lee Ann embraced her Hawaiian culture and lived her Christian values,” said Ke Po‘o o Nā Kula (Head of Schools) Dr. Rod Chamberlain. “She was a learner who enjoyed music and athletics. She was collaborative and spiritually grounded. In this way, she modeled what we wanted for all of our students – she was truly a good and industrious woman who wanted the best for all of us! I will deeply miss her since we know that we are all created in unique and wonderful ways, and there will not be another person like her again.”

She is survived by her husband, Henry, sons, Ho‘ala and Hinano, and daughter, Hulali. Ho‘ala, and his wife Christina, blessed DeLima with her first grandson this year, which she named Kaleihulu.

DeLima was a 1977 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i and a Master of Science degree in educational administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

The Ka Leo o Nā Koa staff posted a story to their online newsletter in memory of DeLima, encouraging others to share memories, messages and well wishes. To see the story, sentiments, and to add comments of your own, visit Ka Leo o Nā Koa.

Lee Ann embraced her Hawaiian culture and lived her Christian values... She was collaborative and spiritually grounded. In this way, she modeled what we wanted for all of our students – she was truly a good and industrious woman who wanted the best for all of us! I will deeply miss her since we know that we are all created in unique and wonderful ways, and there will not be another person like her again.
Dr. Rod Chamberlain, KS Head of Schools

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