[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 133 (Friday, August 4, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF WARREN ZAHNER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 4, 2023

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the loss of a quiet 
force for good in Eastern Connecticut, Dr. Warren Zahner of Ellington. 
Aged 72, Mr. Zahner passed away sadly but peacefully on June 30, 2023.
  Born April, 1951 to Emanuel and Clara Zahner in Hartford, 
Connecticut, Warren was raised with a strong work ethic and a caring 
heart. Upon graduating high school, he chose the healing profession of 
dentistry as his career path, which is a demanding course that required 
both hard work and empathy for others. A diligent student at the 
University of Connecticut, he graduated in 1976 and completed a 
residency at the prestigious Hartford Hospital the following year.
  Dentistry was not just his life bread and butter, but his passion as 
a medium to serve the broader community. For 43 years, until 2019, the 
quality of his work was admired and appreciated by thousands of his 
patients, and all of his peers in health care in Ellington and 
northeast Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, The Town of Ellington is situated 
midway between the University of Connecticut and his hometown of 
Hartford, the perfect spot for Warren to settle in and grow his 
practice and his family. Over time, he decided to give back to his 
profession that provided him so much in life by joining the faculty at 
UConn as a clinical instructor.
  Throughout his years, Warren always prioritized the relationships he 
met along the way--between his family, his clientele and staff, in his 
volunteer capacities and as a leader within his community of faith. He 
was also known to export his caring skills abroad by regularly 
volunteering in a Haitian dental clinic. After his retirement, Warren 
continued serving his community by joining the ranks of the Midwest 
Food Bank, working as a coordinator for the organization.
  Mr. Speaker, often it is those who don't seek the limelight who are 
the most willing to really dedicate their time toward helping others. 
Doctor Zahner was one of those good people. Speaking personally, it was 
an honor to know Warren as a neighbor and patient. We mourn his loss 
but have faith that the large family which both he and his wife Bonnie 
have raised, including their four children Michael Shawn Jonathan and 
Elisa and 14 grandchildren, will greatly extend the length of his 
memory. Now that he has left this world, we can also find solace in 
that he has been met by one of his greatest longings, to reunion with 
his young, late son David Aaron Zahner.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in 
honoring Warren Zahner.

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