Obituary of Alexandrina "Sandy" Sergio

Alexandrina ‘Sandy’ Sergio (Bain), Glastonbury’s inaugural Poet Laureate, Alexandrina Sergio of Glastonbury, died on February 5, 2026. She passed peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family.

Sandy was born on February 15, 1935, to David Bain of Portobello, Scotland and Patricia Campbell Bain of Tubbercurry, County Sligo, Ireland. She grew up in Wethersfield and completed her secondary education in Hartford at Bulkeley High School, graduating third in her class. Sandy received a Bachelor of Science from Central Connecticut State University, where she majored in English, before pursuing post-graduate studies at Wesleyan University.

Sandy taught English at Rocky Hill High School. There, the music teacher down the hall, a certain David Sergio, caught her attention by playing strains of “My Funny Valentine” to drift from his piano through her classroom door. Sandy and David were married on June 27, 1959, and moved to Glastonbury. They started a family, first with their son, Stephen, then with three daughters— Gillian, Stacy, and Lauren. As a mother of four, Sandy brought grace, love, and, always, a sense of humor.

Sandy was dauntless, passionate, and capable in her work across settings and causes. She was the Founding Executive Director of the Inter-Community Mental Health Group, where she led the organization as it grew from a family support group to a multi-community agency. As the executive director of The Hartford Courant Foundation, she managed the allocation of over 1300 grants, developed grantmaking protocols, and managed a scholarship program for minority students. She went on to work as a consultant with a specialty in grantmaking. Throughout, Sandy was a vocal advocate for social and civic causes as a member of PFLAG, Glastonbury Ethics Commission, Hartford Neighborhood Development Support Collaborative, and many other political and charitable organizations.

While her early creative endeavors included painting, printmaking, and crewel work, Sandy had always excelled as a writer, and eventually, she turned her pen to poetry. She published her poems across journals and anthologies, garnering numerous awards, before bringing out three well-received books of poetry with Antrim House — “My Daughter is Drummer in the Rock ‘n Roll Band” (2009), “That’s How the light Gets In” (2013), and “Old Is Not A Four-Letter Word” (2018). Sandy was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Glastonbury, CT in 2015. Sandy relished giving frequent public readings, often accompanied by the pianist she married.

Sandy is pre-deceased by her parents, her sister Margaret Boone, her brother-in-law John Boone, and her daughter Stacy, the drummer in the rock ‘n roll band.

She leaves behind her husband of 66 years, David Sergio, her son Stephen Sergio of Glastonbury, her daughters Gillian Burdett (Eric) of Warrensburg, NY, and Lauren Sergio (Meg Gibson), of Toronto; grandchildren Jeremy Craven, Nathaniel Burdett (Shelby), Lindsay Sergio, Alistair Sergio, great-grandchildren Emery and Hudson Burdett, sisters-in-law Barbara Sergio (Pam Moran and Judith Anderson (Joel), many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, dear friends, and poets.

A memorial service and reception will be held at the Congregational Church in South Glastonbury on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. If friends would like to make memorial donations, they could be made to PFLAG (Hartford Chapter), the Congregational Church in South Glastonbury, or any organization promoting social justice. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.