Digna Diana Gonzalez

2/10/1934 - 12/19/2014

GONZÁLEZ, DIGNA DIANA February 10, 1934 - December 19, 2014 Digna Diana Gonzalez, 80 years old, a resident of State College, Pennsylvania, died December 19, 2014 after a long battle with Multiple Myeloma. Born February 10, 1934 in Coral Gables, Florida, she was the daughter of the late Humberto Quintin Gonzalez and Digna Gala Donoso de Gonzalez. Digna Diana was preceded in death by Henry C. Johnson Jr. She is survived by her daughter Digna Denise Dager de Carbonell and her husband Jesus Miguel Carbonell B., her son Pedro Humberto Dager and his wife Lucia Anderson de Dager, and her youngest son Glenn Joseph Dager and his wife Alma Quevedo de Dager. She is survived by her nine grand-children: Pedro Jose Dager, Ruby Flores, Adriana Dager, Glenn Dager Jr, Digna Maria Dager, Miguel Angel Dager, Gabriela Dager, Damian Dager, and Brandon Dager. Digna Diana's happiest days of her life were spent living in Venezuela, raising her three children and beginning her professional career in education. Digna Diana dedicated her whole professional life to education at many levels. She was an innovative and creative educator whose happiest childhood memories were of waiting for September and the start of school. She became a passionate outspoken advocate for education around the world. Digna Diana graduated from Gesu High School in Miami, Florida. She earned many degrees: B.Ed. from University of Miami; M.A. in Educational Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; M.P.A. from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Education Theory and Policy from Pennsylvania State University. Digna Diana loved teaching at the UNIMET University in Venezuela. She found one of her most satisfying experiences to be her role as a founding faculty member of the Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas, Venezuela. She served as a Chair of the Modern Language Department. Her final assignment there was Dean of Students. The UNIMET honored Digna Diana's devotion to leadership and passion for education when she was selected Madrina of the year in 1976, 1977 and 1978. In 1974 Digna Diana was recognized with a Third Degree Decoration by the President of Venezuela Carlos Andres Perez for Outstanding Service in Education. Later in her professional career, Digna Diana was "on the road" leading technical teams, designing, implementing, and evaluating education reforms in Central and South America, and Caribbean nations. Digna Diana worked as an international consultant for 20 years. She was employed by Inter America Development Bank, The World Bank, ASAID, UNESCO, UNPD, and various consulting firms in Washington, D.C. Digna Diana had many hobbies, primarily entertaining family and friends, cooking "gourmet meals", reading detective stories, biographies on Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant and Civil War history. Digna Diana loved collecting cookbooks and nativity scenes from countries where she had worked. Upon retiring Digna Diana dedicated herself to bible studies and volunteer work for the Cancer Survivors Association and was given the CSA Volunteer of the year award for 2011. Digna Diana will be buried in the Donoso Family plot at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, section 19 in Miami, Florida on January 3rd, 2015 at 1:45 PM. No flowers please, donations to the American Cancer Society in Miami, Florida will be welcome.