Public To Honor Fallen Former Governor In Hartford Tuesday

HARTFORD, CT — State residents can pay their respects to former Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at two separate sites in Hartford.

Gov.Ned Lamont this week unveiled details of the funeral services honoring Rell, the last Republican to serve as Connecticut's top state official.

The residents of Connecticut are invited to pay tribute to Rell’s lasting legacy, Lamont said.

There are two events on Tuesday where people can do just that:

• From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Rell will lay in state at the Connecticut State Capitol (210 Capitol Ave., Hartford). The public is invited to pay tribute during this time.
• At 2:30 p.m. — A Mass of Christian burial will be held at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph (140 Farmington Avenue, Hartford).

A private interment ceremony will occur at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown on a date yet to be determined.

She will be buried alongside her husband Lou Rell, a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Rell died after a brief illness at a Florida hospital on Nov. 20 at 78.

She was Connecticut's 87th governor, serving from 2004 until 2011, and was only the second female governor in the state's history. Democrat Ella Grasso was the first from 1975-80.

Before serving as governor, Rell was lieutenant governor for 10 years and was a member of the state House of Representatives for 10 years, representing Brookfield and Bethel.

From Nov. 21: 'Former Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell Dies At 78'