Sanya Nicole Tinubu

Sanya Nicole Henry was born to Hermin and Renford Henry in St. Catherine, Jamaica, on April 3, 1978. She joined her siblings Andrew, Grace and Kirk and was the darling of the family, affectionately known as Nicki. Despite leaving at an early age, she maintained a strong connection to her island home and the relatives that remained there.

The family moved to Florida, where Sanya would meet lifelong friends and would establish her love of God, learning, dance and reggae music. She was nurtured in the Christian faith at her family church, Booth Street Church of Christ. She was a member of the Cougarettes dance team and loved ballet lessons and drama performances. Sanya was a great student and won numerous awards for academic excellence. She knew early on that she wanted to become a doctor.

After finishing school at Countryside High, Sanya would continue her studies at Xavier University of Louisiana. This HBCU was the perfect place for her. She would continue to form deep friendships and would find sisterhood in her beloved Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. This solidified her commitment to serve her community and those less privileged. She was enthralled by the culture of the City of New Orleans and would often fondly reflect on the food (King Cake and PoBoys), music (Second Line, Street Jazz, Bounce) and atmosphere (French Market and Magazine Street).

In 2000, Sanya would matriculate at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC, and would graduate four years later with an MD degree. Friendships established at Xavier would continue to grow as several classmates also made the transition to medical school. Sanya would continue her service through organizations like Women in Medicine. While studying at Howard, Sanya would meet her future husband. Their bond was established on the foundation of their love for family, culture of service and celebration of Caribbean heritage. Sanya’s love of dance persisted and she would participate in classes and programs at Dance Place in Washington, DC.

A radiology residency followed at the historic Harlem Hospital in New York, then, prestigious fellowships at John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Sanya proudly became a Board-Certified Women’s Imaging specialist with an interest in Breast Imaging and worked in this field in different capacities over the years.

Sanya would make Jide Mohamed Tinubu, the happiest man alive, on February 27, 2010, when they married at a beautiful ceremony in The Bahamas. The after party was Epic! Their union produced three wonderful children: Elisha, Emery and Elise. Sanya lovingly adopted Ayanah as her bonus child. Sanya was a gentle, loving and devoted mother. She adored her kids and stressed to them that anything was possible, but nothing was more important than growing up to be a good person.

Sanya had an adventurous spirit and loved meeting people and trying new things. She was truly in her element when traveling to new places. She had the opportunity to visit many exciting places. Among her favorites were Trinidad, South Africa, Hawaii, Switzerland and The Bahamas, but Jamaica held a special place in her heart.

With a passion for education, Sanya and constantly encouraged friends and family to take advantage of opportunities to improve their situations. She volunteered at Head Start and Prince Circle of Legends Academy in the Houston area and had a vision to place Little Free Libraries in underserved areas of Houston. Family was an integral part of Sanya’s life. She was always interested in getting the extended family together and loved learning about the family roots.

As she remained a faithful believer in God, Sanya valiantly battled lung cancer for three and a half years. She passed peacefully with her husband and loved ones close by on August 21, 2021.

She was Awesome!

Left to cherish her memory are her loving and devoted husband; Jide Tinubu, her precious children; Elisha, Emery, Elise and Ayanah, mother; Hermin Henry, father; Renford Henry, sisters; Grace Henry, Aiesha Henry, Ashlee Henry, Alexis Henry, Narrine Henry, Sharon Cushnie, Lavette Tulloch, brothers; Andrew Tingling, Kirk Henry, Joel Henry, aunts; Francella (Pansy) Cornwall, Avril Tulloch, Delphine Thomas, Icilda Henry, Joyce Henry, Lorraine Henry, uncles; Revy Thompson, Dave Tulloch, Linford (Baya) Henry, Noel Henry, Lebert Henry, Clement (Puttus) Henry, Neville Henry, Lincoln (Con) Cole, Simeon (Sim) Cole, nieces; Sarina Tingling, Abiel Henry, nephews; Kade Cable, Bryan Cushnie, Kier Henry, Reign Henry, cousins; Trisha Tulloch, Abigail Tulloch, Melanie Botembe, Marcia Dixon, Dawn Roth, Teddy Bell, Antoinette Cornwall, Trudy Solomon, Dave Cornwall, Patrick Stewart, Chris Stewart, Debra, Michelle Thomas, Richard Thomas, John Thomas, Stephanie McClean, Marie Stewart, mother-in-law; Edna Tinubu, brother-in-law; Olu Tinubu and sister-in-law; Gani Tinubu.

Livestream for church service:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81346603921?pwd=M3VCU3dLREtQUThNc2VRQVVvOTBoQT09

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sylvanabbey.com for the TINUBU family.