Leon Sarin, 88

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Leon Sarin, 88, of Great Barrington, formerly of Willimantic, Conn., died peacefully at home on Friday, April 14, 2017, after a long illness.

Born in Worcester in 1929, son of Harry and Ida Sarin, both of whom emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s. He grew up in New Britain, Conn., and obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from the University of Connecticut. He was awarded a number of fellowships to continue his graduate studies at Brown, Yale, the University of Virginia at Charlottesville and Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

In the Army during the Korean War, he taught courses in history, economics and government at the Department of the Armed Forces Information School in Fort Slocum, N.Y.

Mr. Sarin continued his early teaching career at Farmington High School and at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, Conn., where he taught for eight years. Many of his students from that time remember him fondly as a dynamic and passionate teacher and a powerful influence on their thinking and intellectual development. He went on from there to teach history at the Universities of Hartford, Conn., and Yale, and then to Eastern Connecticut State University, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in history for 28 years, retiring in 1994. He founded and directed Eastern's Canadian Studies Program, and was deeply engaged with students in the History Club and the Canada Club as an adviser and mentor.

To Mr. Sarin, education was the gateway to a better and richer life, promoting justice, tolerance, civic responsibility and appreciation for history, art and culture. His passion for teaching and his dedication to the ideals of American democracy led to active involvement in the community and politics.

Warm and witty, his wonderful gift of humor was the great leveler that allowed him to engage with nearly everyone he met, respecting and valuing differences and recognizing the uniqueness of each individual.

He leaves his wife, Dorothy Phillips; three daughters and their husbands, Judy and George Murray of Hudson Ohio, Janet and Arnie Brandyberry of Simsbury, Conn., and Jessica and Jeff Perry of Salem; his grandchildren Elizabeth, George Jr. and Charles Murray in Ohio; his sister and her husband, Anita and Meyer Goldberg, and their families, all of the greater Los Angeles area.

We are deeply grateful for his devoted caregivers, notably Mara Smith and Christine Ahoussi.

FUNERAL NOTICE: A celebration of Mr. Sarin's life and legacy will be held at St. James Place in Great Barrington on Saturday, May 6, at 2 p.m.

Any memorial contributions may be directed to the Fairview Dialysis Center through Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230.