Samuel Kanell

Samuel Kanell passed away on December 22, 2018 at the age of 99. He is survived by his children, Joseph Kanell and his wife Rochelle, and Gail Mangs and her husband, David. He is also survived by 5 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 61 years Dorothy Kanell. A man of accomplishment, perseverance and intelligence, he grew up as one of 8 children (with one surviving brother, Jake Kanell), entering Yale University in 1935 at the age of 16 and taking the trolley or hitchhiking from Branford every school day. He served with the U.S. Army artillery, with active duty in Europe from February 1942 through June 1946. He remained in the Army Reserve for the next 30 years retiring as a Lt. Colonel. Throughout the years, the family would follow him during his summer duty to Fort Devens, Fort Sill, Fort Leslie-McNair and the National War College. After WWII, he returned home and worked with the Connecticut Civil Rights Commission and the Connecticut Highway department while attending the UCONN School of Law at night. After graduating in 1955, he held numerous jobs in state government including as an Assistant Attorney General-Public Utility Commission and the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. While in these positions he worked closely with Governors Dempsey, Meskill and Grasso, and successfully argued on behalf of Connecticut before the Supreme Court of the United States, which resulted in the preservation of commuter rail service in Connecticut. His career culminated as an Administrative Law Judge with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C. and the United States Social Security Administration in Connecticut. Donations in his memory may be made to Congregation Beth Israel West Hartford, CT. Devoted to his family, he has left a lasting legacy.

Burial will be at 11:30 am on December 24 at the Beaver Brook Cemetery in Clinton, CT. The family will be sitting Shiva at the home of Gail and David Mangs on Wednesday, December 26 at 6:30 pm with a Shiva service at 7 pm. Arrangements are entrusted to Weinstein Mortuary, Hartford, CT. For further information, directions or to sign the guest book for Samuel Kanell, please visit on line at www.weinsteinmortuary.com/funerals/cfm.

Service Date: 01/01/1970