Obituary of Leslie C. Kendall
Leslie C. Kendall, 95, of Glastonbury passed away peacefully on Friday December 8, 2023.
Born in Scarborough, ME, “Les” was the son of the late Herman C. and Marie L. Kendall. He grew up in South Portland, ME where he met his true love, Mary E. “Bette” (Begin) Kendall who passed away in 2012 after 61 years of marriage.
After an honorable discharge from the U.S Army in 1952, Les and Bette settled in CT, first in Hartford and then Glastonbury after building their home. With an engineer’s mind and mechanical inclination, he worked for area manufacturers (M.H. Rhodes, Kaman Corp, and Pratt & Whitney), retiring from Hayes Pump (formerly Cardinal Pump) where he built industrial pumps for fire and water service.
Traveling with family was always important to Les. Avid campers, the family had close encounters with bears in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the wilderness of Maine, listened to the Indy 500 on the radio every Memorial Day weekend at campground, picked wild blueberries in Nova Scotia, went swimming at the outer banks of North Carolina and watched fireworks at many small-town celebrations throughout New England. One of the last family trips was a memorable month-long road trip across the United States and Canada which found his three daughters (all under 16 at the time) sleeping outside in rattlesnake territory in western Canada, playing (and winning) the slot machines in a Nevada grocery store, riding horses in the Grand Tetons, watching a rodeo in Jackson Wyoming and briefly driving off without a daughter after a stop at a California gas station…we survived and cherish the memory of all these experiences. In retirement, Les and Bette enjoyed traveling to England, Scotland, Italy, Ireland, Bermuda, and Jamaica.
Les was a quiet, patient person always willing to provide a helping hand to family and neighbors. To his children, he provided support, assistance, and advice whether he was untangling a necklace, helping with math homework, completing (and teaching) electrical wiring in their homes, hanging drywall, or getting a car to start from 800 miles away. For his neighbors, he cleared paths in the snow and brought in the trash cans.
In addition to his parents and wife, Les was predeceased by his six siblings and their spouses. A loving father and Papa, he is survived by his daughters Joanne Kendall of TX, Dyann (Wayne) Mackiewicz and Nancy Kendall both of CT and three precious grandchildren Jack Flanagan, Kaitlynn Flanagan, and Cassidy Flanagan along with several nieces and nephews. Funeral services and burial will take place at a later date. There are no scheduled calling hours.
Donations in his memory can be made to The Village for Families & Children, 331 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06114 (online at www.thevillage.org) or the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111 (online at www.cthumane.org). For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com).