M. Joel Berman, 80, of Bloomfield, passed away peacefully on Thursday, (October 4, 2012). He was born in Hartford on June 15, 1932. He was raised with his late brother Leonard in the North End of Hartford by his late parents, William Berman and Sylvia Elman Berman, and his late grandmother, Kayla Elman. As a child, he survived the Hartford Circus Fire. He is a graduate of Weaver High School, and the University of Vermont, where he developed a love of fishing and the outdoors. He was the co-owner of Berman’s Appliance Store, which was located on Franklin Avenue in Hartford from 1906 through 1996. Berman’s served generations of families in the South End of Hartford, where Joel was a fixture his entire life. He was an avid fly fisherman, which aside from his grandchildren, was what he loved most. He was a past president of the Bloomfield Fish and Game Club, and an active member of the Connecticut Fly Fishing Association. He was a member of the Royal Coachman Fly Tiers and Trout Unlimited. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Toby S. Berman. He is survived by his loving children, Caryl Bills and her partner Deb of East Granby, Jane Smith and her husband Coleman of Suffield, and William Berman and his wife Liz of Newton, MA. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Sarah and Katie Bills, Aaron and Sean Smith, and Noah, Josh and Daniel Berman. Funeral services will be Sunday, Oct. 7, at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Avenue, with burial in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. For further information or directions visit www.weinsteinmortuary.com/funerals.cfm. The family will receive visitors at the home of Jane Smith, 550 North Main Street, Suffield, Sunday following the funeral and Monday afternoon. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice .