Sandra Parrini Obituary

SANDRA M. PARRINI
Born: February 7, 1934 in BROOKLYN, NY
Died: December 25, 2025 in DEKALB, IL
Sandra Parrini, 91, of DeKalb, died Wednesday, December 25, 2025, at 2944 Greenwood Acres Drive in DeKalb.
Sandra was born February 7, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York, to Isidore Dimentberg and Anna (Tannebaum) Dimentberg. She married Carl Parrini on June 11, 1955, in Madison, Wisconsin. Before settling in DeKalb, she and her husband lived in Madison, Lake Forest, Illinois, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Los Angeles, California, and Athens, Ohio. They were married for 61 years, until his death in 2016.
Sandra matriculated from Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx in 1951. Before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned a B.S. in English, she attended Brooklyn College. While her youngest child was still a toddler, Sandra returned to university, and she earned a Master of Science in Education from Northern Illinois University in 1976. She also completed post-graduate work, earning three Illinois teaching certificates: a Type 09, a Type 10 Language Arts Specialist, and a Type 75. She taught high school English, reading, and English language learners at Belvidere High School from 1976-78 and joined Rochelle Township High School in 1978, where she worked until retirement in 1993. At Rochelle Township High School she also served as Chapter I Director and Reading Resource Specialist. In addition, Sandra taught English at Elgin Community College in 1994 and 1995, and English, reading, Freshman English, and Freshman Composition at Kishwaukee Community College from 1980-85.
Before entering the teaching profession Sandra wrote jingles for WISC radio in Madison as a copy chief and was an assistant editor for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.
During the Vietnam War, Sandra was active in the local Women's Committee of Concern on Vietnam, working on activities such as the October 15, 1969, Moratorium Day.
She was an accomplished fiber and textile artist who could knit, crochet, embroider, and sew, and she was a culinary enthusiast, talented cook, and kitchen magician. She was also a keen, green-fingered gardener. She enjoyed traveling with her husband, as well as solo, which included a trip to Greece after retirement to teach English. She was an avid reader, interested in the larger world throughout her life. Always keenly aware and quick witted, she brought a uniquely humorous perspective to the life she helped create for her family.
Sandra was a caring, kind, and generous mother, wife, aunt, and friend. In addition to her husband Carl, she is preceded in death by her sister Gloria and her nephew Alan. She is survived by her daughters, Michelle and Isadora Parrini, and her niece, Carol Comeau.
A public, closed casket visitation will be held at Anderson Funeral Home, 2011 S. 4th Street, in DeKalb, on January 3, 2026, from 3-5 pm.
Those wishing to honor Sandra's memory may make a donation to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, or a food pantry of their choice, or to the DeKalb Public Library.
For information, visit www.AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022.