Valentine Dmitriev died June 4 in Hackettstown, N.J. She moved there from Whidbey Island in 2005 to be near her daughter Catherine Sipe, who lives in Annandale.

Her parents were from Russia. Her father was an officer in the Czar’s navy. In 1918 they had to flee St. Petersburg and immigrated to China. Valentine was born Oct. 24 in Shanghai and then relocated to Canada where she was raised along the coast of British Columbia. Later, she and her mother moved to Seattle.

Valentine graduated from the University of Washington when she was still a teenager. Later in life, she went back to school to work on her master’s and doctorate degrees.

Valentine received her PhD in special education from the University of Washington. She is the author of eight books, including “Time To Begin – Early Education for Children with Down Syndrome,” as well as numerous articles and papers on child development.

She has also written and had published works of fiction and poetry and one play. A pioneer in parenting, infant learning and early intervention, Dr. Dmitriev is the founder and past coordinator of the Model Program for Children with Down Syndrome at the University of Washington Experimental Education Unit.

In addition to her work at the University, Dr. Dmitriev served as a consultant to public schools, developmental centers and university education programs in over 40 cities throughout the United States.

She also gave lectures and workshops in 11 foreign countries, including Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan and Spain.

In October 2000, under the sponsorship of the International Fund for Children with Down Syndrome, she traveled to Moscow where she conducted a series of seminars (in Russian) for parents and teachers of children with developmental disabilities.

She is survived by her half-brother Dmitry Stone and his family in Canada; her daughter Catherine Sipe, who lives in Annandale, New Jersey; her son Michael, who lives in Omak, Wash. with his wife, Carol; and her son Alex and his wife, Susan, who live in New York City.

Valentine was married to Nickolas T. Dmitriev for over 50 years before he died in 1990. She was later married to Richard O’Donovan, who predeceased her by several years.