Robert Edwin Sonnichsen

Robert Sonnichsen died peacefully after a courageous two-year battle with cancer in the midnight hours of August 18, 2026. In his final days, he was visited by relatives and other loved ones who traveled from far and wide, and celebrated 45 years of marriage to his wife Leesa.

Rob was born on May 21, 1951 in Middletown to Elizabeth (Nelson) Sonnichsen and Arthur Sonnichsen. He was the third of four children, all raised off the Post Road in Madison on land that remained in the family for most of a century. He graduated from Daniel Hand High School in 1969, moving on to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 1973.

After working for the state of Connecticut, he accepted a new position with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which relocated him to Boston. In the interim, he met Leesa Pomerantz and they were married in 1981. After several years in Boston and the arrival of their two children, they returned to Madison in 1986, where Rob lived for the rest of his life.

For the following decades, Rob remained ceaselessly dedicated to raising his family as well as to the preservation and sustainability of his home region. He made it a point never to miss his kids' softball or hockey games, often travelling to support their athletic and musical ambitions. For the coastline, he served many years on the Wetlands Commission, spending the last fifteen years of his life as partner in Waldo and Associates in Guilford. As his retirement neared, he devoted more time to travelling both domestically to spend time in Los Angeles with his four beloved grandchildren, internationally in Europe with Leesa, and on his boat exploring the local coastline.

Rob will be dearly missed, remembered for his sense of humor, his love of the Boston Red Sox, and above all his selflessness as a father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife Leesa, their son Tyler (Lisa LaDuca) of Burlington, VT, daughter Brittany (Hooman Adamous) of Beverly Hills, CA, and four grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother David of Bel Air, MD, sister Katherine Schwartz of Westminster, CO, sister Susan Shanley of Madison, and many nieces and nephews.

Rob was interred at the West Cemetery in Madison on August 20th, in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, mourners may consider making a donation in Robert's name to the Madison Land Conservation Trust: https://madisonlandtrust.org/