Muriel T. Yacavone

Former State Rep. Muriel T. Yacavone, 92, of East Hartford, died at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, after a brief illness.

Born in Hartford on May 26, 1920, a daughter of the late William and Elizabeth (Griffin) Taul, she was a longtime resident of East Hartford prior to living in Manchester and South Windsor. Muriel was active in her community for a half century. She was a representative of the 9th District of the Connecticut House of Representatives, including parts of East Hartford and Manchester, from 1970 to 1982, serving in the House leadership and on numerous committees that oversaw health and human services, and environmental legislation. After leaving the legislature, Muriel worked for the Department of Public Health in the area of maternal and child health care. A member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she later worked at the Old State House in Hartford and was a guide at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and the Mark Twain House. A graduate of William H. Hall High School, West Hartford, Class of 1938, Muriel was a dance teacher, a member of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, and then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. She moved from Hartford to East Hartford with her late husband of 30 years, John P. Yacavone, and her four children in 1955 and immediately became involved in her community. She was a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout leader, a member of the local PTA, and the League of Women Voters. Muriel was also an active member of the East Hartford and South Windsor Democratic Parties, and served on numerous town boards and commissions. In 2003, Muriel was elected to the Town Council in South Windsor at the age of 83. In her free time, Muriel had a love for Connecticut history, dance, and opera.

Besides her beloved husband and parents, she was predeceased by a daughter, Teresa Paolilla of East Hartford; a brother, William Taul Jr. of Windsor; and a sister, Elizabeth Hill of Reston, Va. Muriel is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth McGuire, and her husband, John G. Gannon, of South Windsor; two sons, John P. Yacavone Jr., and his wife, Katherine, of Cheshire, Mark Yacavone of Glendale, Ariz.; four grandchildren, John Paolilla of Portland, Ore., Daniel Yacavone, and his wife, Kathrin, of Edinburgh, Scotland, Peter Yacavone of Cheshire, and Kate Gannon of South Windsor; and several nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

Funeral services will be Saturday, Dec. 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the D'Esopo-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter St., East Hartford. Burial with military honors will follow at Veterans Memorial Field-Hillside Cemetery, East Hartford.

Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home chapel on Saturday from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Muriel's name may be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or to WNPR (Connecticut Public Radio), 1049 Asylum Ave., Hartford, CT 06105.

For any online expressions of sympathy to the family please visit

www.desopo.com