Sandee Carberry

Mary Sandra Carberry (née Semon), 80, passed away on June 26, 2025, in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Originally from Belleville, Illinois, she is survived by her husband of 58 years, John Barron Carberry; her two children, Brian Carberry and Tricia Howarth; and five grandchildren: Maile, Alex, Zoe, Ella, and Andrew. She is also survived by her sisters, Gail Lifgren, Cheryl Germain, and Ellen Reichert. A sister, Marcia Reynolds, predeceased her.
Dr. Sandra Carberry earned a B.S. in Mathematics from Cornell University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Delaware. Over her 31-year academic career, she served as a full professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Delaware, where she spent her entire professional life. She also held leadership roles in multiple professional organizations.
An internationally recognized researcher, Dr. Carberry authored three books and numerous scholarly papers. Her work earned several "Best Paper" awards at major international conferences. Equally dedicated to teaching, she was honored with the university-wide Outstanding Teaching Award at Delaware-a reflection of her passion for mentorship and education.
After her retirement in 2015, "Sandee" continued to share her knowledge, teaching subjects ranging from Artificial Intelligence at UD to beginner's bridge in the communities where she lived. Her joy in and love for her three generations of family easily matched her professional dedication. She was a special person, smart, organized, capable, loving, warm, sharing, a great cook, hostess, academic leader, creative teacher, tough bridge competitor, fun tennis and golf partner, aficionado of any parlor or board games you could imagine, loving wife, dedicated parent, and devoted grandmother.
Funeral arrangements are by Doherty Funeral Homes in Wilmington, DE, and will be private. In lieu of flowers or donations, we encourage those so motivated to pick their own person or group, do something to help them, and let us know later.
A Celebration of Life to remember Sandee will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 from 12:00-2:30p.m. at the Alison Center of the Jenner's Pond Community, 2000 Greenbriar Ln, West Grove, PA 19390. The University of Delaware is planning a ceremony to honor Sandee's contributions to Computer Science in September/October at the University. Details are pending