Sandra Hennen passed away in the early hours of Jan. 28, 2024, in Newcastle, Maine, at the age of 87. A lifelong Connecticut resident, she was raised in Washington Depot, attended Central Connecticut State University, and enjoyed a long, distinguished career as a teacher in Windsor before moving to Madison during retirement to be near her family.

As a young woman, she had a vibrant extracurricular life in the theater, where she met her husband, Sherwood Linell Tonkin, an Air Force pilot who was killed when his plane crashed in 1962. A gifted Special Education and early elementary teacher, she was also a lauded educational innovator and taught programs for both gifted and remedial students of all ages.

She leaves behind her daughter and son-in-law, Pamela and Giovanni Meier, recently of Madison and now residing in Maine, and three granddaughters, Katherine, Eva, and Danica Meier.