KENT—Sandra Dolan Jennings, 80, passed away following a very brief illness on Sunday, June 23, 2024. She was born Sandra (Sandy) Rodden in Milford, Conn., on Dec. 5, 1943.
Sandra was predeceased in 2023, by her husband, Stanley W. Jennings, whom she considered her best friend, and whose loss was irreplaceable to her. She was also predeceased by her mother, Irene, her father, her brothers Theodore and Daniel (Danny), her sister Irene (Renie), and by the father of her children, David Maurice Dolan.
She is survived by her son, David F. Dolan of Torrington, and daughter, Jean M. Dolan Jennings and spouse Elizabeth Peterson Jennings of Tucker, Ga., and by her grandchildren Tariku M.S. Jennings and De’Marri C.S. Jennings.
Sandy graduated from Milford High School in 1961 and devoted her working life to keeping things in order as a career accountant, administrator and bookkeeper. Early in her career she worked for the State of Connecticut and for White Flower Farm. She started her own business in 1986, aptly named “Ducks in a Row,” providing bookkeeping, property management and administrative services for a variety of businesses for more than 38 years.
Sandra married Stanley in 1979, finding a life partner who shared her love of family, travel, history, country life and a commitment to sobriety. She was a proud “Friend of Bill W.” with 48 years sobriety and acted as sponsor to many. Sandy was in this way a “light in the storm”; not surprisingly, she was inspired by lighthouses.
Lighthouses were a passionate interest Sandy shared with Stan. Together they traveled far and wide to visit and photograph more than 400 U.S. lighthouses and those on Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Sandra acted as treasurer for the Kent Historical Society and was a resident of Kent for more than 20 years. She was proud to be part of a family with deep roots and history in the region.
She and her dear friend, Amy Corbiere, whom she has known since high school, had many adventures over the years, including raising their children together. Sandy found great solace in Amy’s invitation to spend her final days on her peaceful farm in Durham, Conn., enjoying conversation with her friend and time with her beloved dog, Boyd. More recently, Sandra found a steadfast friend in Sandra Marchetti of Torrington, who became her lighthouse travel companion and has been a real chum since the loss of her husband.
The family extends a heartfelt thanks to Village Crest Rehab Center in New Milford and to the nurses at Danbury Hospital’s Comfort Care Unit.
Cremated remains burial will be private. A celebration of life service will be held in September at the First Congregational Church in Kent. Details will be posted on https://lillisfuneralhome.wordpress.com. Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge St., New Milford, has been entrusted to care for Sandra and her family.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to the U.S. Lighthouse Society https://uslhs.org or to the National Lighthouse Museum www.lighthousemuseum.org.
