Nijole Boguta Dedinas, born June 29, 1936 in Krakės, Lithuania, died in Elmhurst on October 19, 2024. Her husband Jonas predeceased her; she leaves a daughter Vilia Dedinas (Chris Gair), two sisters Vitalija Keblys and Birute Flick, grandchildren Aleksandras Dedinas Geoly, Tomas Dedinas Geoly and Andrew Dedinas Geoly,
sister-in-law Teresa Boguta, nieces and nephews and bereaved friends.
Nijole’s family fled worn-torn Lithuania to Germany during World War II. The family survived the bombings of Dresden and nearby villages then found safety in a displaced persons camp in Hanau. The family emigrated to the United States in
1950, settling in Baltimore, where Nijole entered high school.
Nijole was enchanted by the sound of a piano in the Hanau D.P. camp and started
her first lessons there. In Baltimore, a family for whom she babysat heard her
playing and brought her to the Peabody Preparatory where she was immediately
accepted on a scholarship. Within two years she received a scholarship to attend the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with concert pianists Mieczyslaw Munz and Virginia Reinecke. She obtained degrees in music from Peabody
Conservatory and Duquesne University. Nijole taught piano at Carnegie Mellon
Institute while her husband completed his PhD, and the couple then moved to
Rochester, New York when Jonas took a research position with Eastman Kodak
Company. The family lived there until 1995. Nijole had a private piano studio, taught
music at Nazareth College and performed. Nijole and Jonas were active in the
Rochester Lithuanian community, organizing and participating in cultural events and
exchanges with other Lithuanian communities. After trying a few golf lessons and applying the same discipline and hard work as
she had with her piano studies, she became a skilled golfer, hitting holes-in-one,
playing from the mens’ tees and garnering club championships and league trophies. Nijole was a lively competitor who enjoyed golf and her friends into her late years and during retirement in Parrish, Florida.
In 1989, Jonas’ career moved them to West Chester, Pennsylvania. Nijole shifted
gears, and at the age of 53, obtained a master’s degree in piano performance from
West Chester University, performing a challenging repertoire.
When Lithuania regained its independence, Nijole and Jonas visited frequently.
Nijole developed a thriving friendship with pianists and pedagogists at the
Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy in Vilnius. She began writing piano
pedagogy books for developing piano students based on Lithuanian folk songs and
themes she had learned as a child. She published nine books in Lithuania and the
United States.
In 2014, Nijole moved to Elmhurst to be closer to her daughter Vilia and her family.
She lived for ten years at Park Place in Elmhurst and enjoyed the close company of
her family and her community.
Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday,
November 15, 2024 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 134
Arthur Street, Elmhurst. Interment followed at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery
in Hillside.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to
Child’s Gate to Learning (www.childgate.org) that helps at risk children in Lithuania or Nijole’s alma mater Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute Preparatory or Conservatory
Scholarship Fund (https://peabody.jhu.edu/giving), where Nijole was a recipient of
full scholarships.
