Murray Lender passes away... thanks for every thing.

Last week Murray Lender of Lender's Bagels fame passed away. I had not thought of him for years. I one met him a few times, but he and his family did some little and big things that really made growing up in New Haven a great experience.

I went to school with a number of the Lender family kids. Every week a truck from the Lenders' Bakery would drop off some fresh bagel to be given out for free at snack time. They were great. To this day when I think of getting a snack the first thing I think of is getting a bagel because not only do I like bagels but it bring me back to the pleasant memories of my youth.

In the 80s the Lenders opened a restaurant in Hamden that served all food that could include bagels. There were bagel pizzas and bagel burger. That was the first time I ever saw a bagel pizza, and I still see them whenever I go to the store in the freezer section. The bagel burgers are still my favorite burger of all time. The is simply nothing better than a onion bagel burger. It is awesome!

After they sold Lenders Bagels to Kraft the Lender family expanded their support of the New Haven Community and the schools their kids went to. I enjoyed the result of their generosity when I was young and now my daughter is using those same facilities today.

I would say Murray Lender will be missed, but I see him every day in New Haven at the JCC, Hamden Hall and Foote.