Antoinette “Toni” Iadarola, a resident of Clinton, Conn., died May 23 after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 80 years old.

Born in New York City on Feb. 23, 1940, Toni and her family soon relocated to Shelton, Conn., where she spent the majority of her childhood. Toni remained in state to earn a bachelor’s degree in history/political science from the University of St. Joseph, and later earned a master’s degree in European diplomatic history from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She was also a Fullbright Scholar affiliated with Oxford University and the London School of Economics.

Toni began her career in academia as the Chair of the History Department and Coordinator of Women Studies at the University of St. Joseph, and went on to accept a position as Dean of Faculty at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Toni arrived at Colby-Sawyer College in 1986 to teach history, and was soon promoted to the role of Provost – a position she held until 1992. A dedicated member of the New London, N.H., community, Toni was awarded the Gown Award during Colby-Sawyer’s commencement ceremony in 1992 in recognition of her work and contributions to the surrounding area.

Toni left Colby-Sawyer to become President of Cabrini College in Radnor, Penn., a position she held for 16 years, before returning to her home state in 2009 to become President of Lauralton Hall, a Catholic, college-preparatory school for girls. She retired from Lauralton Hall in 2017.

Wherever she traveled, Toni immersed herself in a variety of community service projects and volunteer work, and was often reluctant to receive recognition for her charity. Among the many accolades she received during her illustrious career, Toni was named Catholic Educator of the Year as well as Business Woman of the Year by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Toni is survived by her three sisters, Nancy Aldo, Dolores Tema and MaryAnn Iadarola; her sister-in-law Sally Iadarola; her brother-in-law Ron Tema; and her devoted caregiver Hilary Smith. She was a loving aunt and great aunt to many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her two sisters, Elisa Lopilato and Michelina DeStefano, and by her brother Angelo Iadarola.