Connecticut’s second female governor, Jodi Rell, was remembered on Tuesday at her funeral at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford for helping restore trust in state government.
Rell died two weeks ago at the age of 78.
In his eulogy, Gov. Ned Lamont praised Rell for her calm, rational, and caring approach, which helped endear her to the people of Connecticut after she took over from Governor John Rowland, who resigned amid a public corruption scandal that sent him to federal prison in 2004.
“As I talk to folks about what Jodi Rell meant, it wasn’t bold ethical reforms in the legislature, it was how she just touched us in very small ways. How she touched us with grace," said Lamont.
He said Rell regularly attended the annual open house at the Governor’s residence in Hartford.
“I’ll miss her on Friday, which is our open house at the residence where she always was. Always at the door,” Lamont said.
“She’d been out of office for 10, 12 years. People would greet her like they’d just seen her. She gave them a big smile. And I remember her always saying, 'Oh common, just call me Jodi.' God bless Jodi Rell,” he said.
Rell, a Republican, was a former state representative and lieutenant governor before she served as the state’s 87th governor from 2004 to 2011.
Prior to the funeral, Rell’s casket had been laid in the East Atrium of the State Capitol Building for public viewing. That’s where she stood to personally greet thousands of residents after taking the oath of office in 2004.
She’s to be buried at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown, next to her husband, Lou Rell, who was a U.S. Navy veteran.
