Avon Obituary: Dr. Lothar Candels, 90

On the first snowy morning, at an early hour appropriate for going fishing, he set off for his next adventure. Dr Lothar Richard Candels, beloved husband, father, pediatrician, avid fisherman, woodsman, hunter, painter, photographer, poet, scrimshander, composer, arrowhead finder and lover of literature, died peacefully at home surrounded with the love of his family, on Dec. 29, 2015.

The son of Anthony and Martha Schneider Candels, Lothar was born on June 20, 1925 in Bonn, Germany. When he was 3 they set sail for America, living in Hartford before moving to Avon in 1931. He explored fields and forests, mountains and streams and knew where to find native brook trout, butterflies and flowers. He studied at Towpath School and Avon Old Farms, where his father served as the Chief Steward/Chef. He attended Trinity College and Fordham University and received his medical degree from Long Island College of Medicine, completing his residency at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.

In 1947 he met his true love and partner in adventure, Betty Hurley, through the glee club at Albertus Magnus College. After wooing her with sonnets and song, they were wed in 1951, and lived brieflly in Brooklyn, NY and served in the Navy in Virginia. Lothar and Betty settled in Avon where he began his pediatric practice, providing tender, compassionate care to families for 43 years. His offices in Avon and Canton were small museums filled with natural treasures, enjoyed by his patients and parents. Often seen on housecalls wearing his cowboy hat adorned with pheasant feathers, he once shot a rabid squirrel that had bitten the child he had come to treat.

Dr. Candels shared his passions, wisdom, and appreciation of life with all who knew him. One of his greatest adventures was catching a king salmon in Alaska that equaled the world record in weight. Thank you for teaching us how to love and share. We will miss you every day.

He is predeceased by his son, Richard, and survived by his wife, Betty, his brother Carl Candels, and his children: Paul, Philip, Lisa, Eileen and Lynn; daughters in law, Heather and Patti, and sons in law, John Noelke and Patrick Griffin; nine grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

Calling hours will be held at St. Ann’s Church in Avon on Friday, Jan. 8, from 4-7 PM. A memorial mass will be celebrated on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 10:00 AM at St. Ann’s, followed by a reception. A celebration of his life will follow in the spring at Avon Old Farms School.

Please honor him in a way you feel he would love or consider a donation to Avon or Barkhamsted Land Trusts.