Don Surrendra Naranjit

November 3, 1951 - May 27, 2021

OBITUARY FOR DON SURRENDRA NARANJIT Don Surrendra Naranjit, age 69, passed away peacefully on May 27th, 2021 at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Canada. He was born in Couva, Trinidad. He was the son of Hetty Naranjit and predeceased by his father, Wilfred Naranjit. Don was the loving and devoted husband of Sandra (Kamla) Naranjit (Jagdipsingh), the dedicated father to Darrydon Naranjit (son) and Avedon Naranjit-Kurjah (daughter). He treasured his children and embraced every moment with them. He especially loved his role as Grandpa, also called Grandmoo. He was absolutely adored by his five grandchildren - Darrius Naranjit, Shenelle Naranjit, Avelexi Kurjah, Alexius Kurjah and Darilissa Naranjit. He was the beloved father-in-law of Alex Kurjah and Melissa Ramserran. Don was a cherished brother to David Naranjit, Darryl Naranjit, Gerard Naranjit and Carol-Ann Naranjit. He was a dear brother-in-law to Sherina Naranjit, Christiana Naranjit, Lynne Lacey, David New, Jules & Stella Jagdipsingh, Monty and Gail Jagdipsingh, Sarah & Paul Protain and Praim & Molly Singh. He was admired by his nephews and nieces: Camille, Stephanie, Sheri-Ann, Steven, Giselle, Lynne, Shawn, Stephon, Marlon, Duane, Natasha, Sherwin, Mandy (deceased), Renee, Shireen and their families. He was also loved by his many cousins and extended family in Trinidad, Canada, USA and UK. He was fortunate to have many friends as students, teachers, lecturers and colleagues. Don was a respected co-worker and touched the lives of many over the years. He was the close friend of Dr. Joel Sinanan, Dr. Naresh Armoogum, Jeanelle Rampersad and many more. He will be remembered by many more friends, teachers, lecturers and colleagues. Most of all Don loved his life partner and wife, children and grandchildren. He instilled in his children and grandchildren strong values, that have and will continue to serve them well. His efforts have significantly contributed to the standard and quality of life we enjoyed as a family. He will be dearly missed and forever in their hearts. The family of Don Naranjit would like to thank everyone for their kind words, their support and their love at this trying time. A special thanks to all the doctors and nurses who worked tirelessly and cared for “Donald” at Juravinski Hospital and Juravinski Cancer Centre. Don will be cremated in Canada in the presence of his immediate family. We hope to bring his ashes to Trinidad to be buried with his father at Balmain, Couva as per his last wish. A memorial service will be held later in the year for Don Naranjit in Trinidad. CELEBRATION OF DON NARANJIT’S LIFE Don Surrendra Naranjit grew up on De Gannes Street, Couva, Trinidad with his siblings and parents. He attended Exchange RC Primary School, Couva and Presentation College, Chaguanas. During this time, his life was filled with fun playing with his siblings and cousins and getting into mischief. Along with his family, Don migrated to Caledonia, Canada in 1967, where he attended Caledonia High School. They eventually moved to Hamilton, Canada where he completed Grade 13 at Hill Park Secondary School. He later attended McMaster University in Hamilton where he graduated with a B.Sc. in Mathematics (Major) and Psychology (Minor). Don then completed his Diploma in Education and Master of Education at the University of West Indies, Trinidad. Don met his wife Sandra (Kamla) over forty (40) years ago, they fell in love and had two (2) children. He was family-oriented and spent most of his time passing on his many skills to his children. He loved spending time and playing with his five (5) grandchildren. Don was compassionate and had humility in every role that he played. He was a true gentleman, going out of his way to help many. He had a “can do” spirit, and persistence in his varied practical skills around the house. He was a role model to many people and helped children, students, teachers and friends. Don lived a full life, personally and professionally. He became a teacher and taught at St. James Secondary School and Chaguanas Senior Comprehensive School. He was very motivated and determined to further his career. He later became a Lecturer at Valsayn Teacher’s College. He started working at the Ministry of Education as a Curriculum Officer (Mathematics) and later was promoted to Curriculum Coordinator (Mathematics), and then to District Coordinator. He subsequently retired in 2011. Don started contract work as a Continuous Assessment Component (CAC) Monitor in Caroni after he retired, in which he was responsible for CAC of Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) with other monitors. For the last six (6) years, Don struggled with many sicknesses, but he never complained and continued to keep a smile on his face. He was diagnosed with cancer and fought to live, in order to be with his family. He never returned to his home country, Trinidad because of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Don Naranjit was described by colleagues “as a joy to work with”, “always smiling”, “always encouraging”, “gave good advice”, “sparkling personality”, “astute and intelligent gentleman”. His students and fellow teachers described him as “an excellent lecturer”, “always kind towards me”, “a kind and gentle soul”, “very pleasant and knowledgeable” and “a genuine teacher/lecturer”. Interesting facts about Don: · Don was a family man, who shared his life with his devoted wife for over forty (40) years. · He has two (2) intelligent children and five (5) amazing grandchildren. · He had a mischievous smile and was known to be a jokester. · He was passionate about art and tools. He created several paintings and had hundreds of tools. · He was a handyman who was very skilled at tiling, plumbing, electrical work, welding and fixing cars. · He made the gates and burglar proofing of windows for his family home in Trinidad. · He took care of his grandson, Darrius and granddaughter, Avelexi as babies, while their parents were at work. · He published the following research paper: Naranjit, D.S., (2008) “Effects of a public relations program on primary school teacher’s level of acceptance of retraining”. This can be found at https://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/handle/2139/2055 · He participated in an Education Leadership Program, a collaboration between Ministry of Education in Trinidad and one of the top Universities in Canada, McGill University. · He taught hundreds of students and trainee teachers in Trinidad. · His career at the Ministry of Education started with curriculum revision at the Secondary School Level. He was responsible for writing the Mathematics Curriculum for Trinidad and Tobago with other curriculum officers. · He was responsible for working with special needs children, remedial children and teacher’s college. · Don wrote curriculums and coordinated interviews with teachers and Heads of Departments. · Don oversaw all curriculum in Caroni, Trinidad and was also in the acting of Acting Director of Curriculum Division (DCD).