Darin Sabine

Newington Fire Chief Darin Sabine, 35,  passed away on September 7, 2019, after a two-year battle against job-related colon cancer.

Chief Sabine, 35, served in various roles in the Newington Fire Department beginning in 2002.

He is survived by his wife Jennifer and two daughters Sophia Lilley and Maya Marie.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation paid off the family’s mortgage in July 2021 in honor of Independence Day.

I continue to be astounded by the generosity and kindness the Tunnel to Towers Foundation shows the families of fallen firefighters.  As I read the message notifying our family that we are one of the few blessed ones to be on the receiving end of this generosity, my eyes filled with tears.

“My five-year-old daughter turned to me and said, “Mommy, are those happy tears?”  With all the tears we have shed in the last few years it was a wonderful feeling to reassure her that yes, yes they were very happy tears.

 Knowing that myself and my two young daughters have a home, our home, paid off, and forever ours is hard to put into words.

 I am endlessly grateful to the team of amazing people associated with Tunnel to Towers for making this possible.  We have a saying in our family that we look for the sparkle every day.  Some days that sparkle can be hard to find, but it is always there.  The sparkle the Foundation has poured over our family is life-changing. 

An extra layer to the honor of receiving our mortgage is paid off is that it is in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the establishment of the Foundation on Independence Day. 

My husband was a proud, life-long firefighter whose passion to help others preceded him and I know given the choice he would do it all again. 

Receiving our mortgage payoff in conjunction with all of this beyond remarkable. 

Words could never accurately express the sincere gratitude we feel for the support of everyone involved with Tunnels to Towers.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you do and for supporting our family in the most difficult of times.” — Jennifer Sabine  Widow of Fallen Fire Chief Darin Sabine