Norwich, VT – Sydney Alonso, 85 of Norwich, died at his home on Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

Sydney was born November 21, 1936 in Clarksburg, WV, as the son of Angel Tad Alonso and Frances (DeVoge) Alonso. He spent his youth in Clarksburg before attending MIT on scholarship in Cambridge, MA.

He was employed at Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering, where he established and ran the Digital Hardware Lab. There he introduced a student-designed, project-oriented course in which an original minicomputer and digital organ were designed and built.

In 1976, Sydney founded New England Digital Corporation (NED) to promote commercial application of several US Patents that grew out of his product research at Thayer School. This activity produced the Synclavier, the first commercially successful, portable, digital synthesizer. It was used by musicians that included innovative, 20 ^th century luminaries from many disciplines such as Sting, Laurie Anderson, Pierre Boulez, Oscar Peterson and Pat Metheny.

He worked as Director of Research at NED until its closure in 1992. Thereafter, he worked for several years as a digital-design engineering consultant for a variety of automation companies.

In 1961, he moved to Vermont with Barbara Moraff. They raised their 2 children on a small farm in Strafford.

In 1985, after a 29 year absence, he sought out and married Jacqueline Springwater. Together they shared an enjoyment of a blended family of each other's children, music, arts and travel, especially, to a second home in the South of France.

He is survived by wife, Jacqueline Springwater, of Norwich, her son Adam Springwater, his wife Ellen and their son Sam, of Sebastopol, CA; her son Joel Springwater, his wife Elizabeth, of New York City, NY and, by former partner Barbara Moraff Alonso, of Danville, VT, their daughter, Alesia Alonso, her husband, David Whalen, their sons, Tristan and Nikko Whalen, of Albany, CA. Sydney & Barbara's son, Marco Alonso, died of cystic fibrosis in 2007.

Knight Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. An online guestbook and expressions of condolence may be found at www.knightfuneralhomes.com