Dr. Samuel I. Kaplan, ?Kappy?, 98, of West Hartford died Sunday, November 4, 2007 at John Dempsey Hospital, Farmington. He was the son of the late Hyman and Sarah Kaplan and the beloved husband of the late Thelma (Rakusin) Kaplan. A graduate of Hartford High School, he attended the University of Pittsburgh Dental School where he met his beloved wife, Thelma. They were married for seventy-three blissful years. After practicing general dentistry for a short time, he returned to study maxillofacial surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital under the renowned Kurt Toma. He was head of the Dental Department at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Hartford, where the dental wing was named in his honor. He was a past president of The Dental Society and a member of The American Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He was one of three founders of maxillofacial surgery in Connecticut. Kappy was an accomplished violinist as well as a master woodworker who created numerous heirloom pieces. He leaves his daughter, Arline Small and her husband Stuart of Farmington; two grandchildren: Mark A. Small and his wife Sylvie, and Debra Swartz and her husband Richard; five great grandchildren: David and Elizabeth Swartz, and Rachel, Gabrielle and Isaac Small; loving brother-in-law and sister-in-law John and Kim Rakusin of North Haven, and his beloved sister-in-law Beatrice Ableman of Washington, D.C. His family is most appreciative of the loving care he received from Marcia Evans and Wendy Noble Johnson. A graveside funeral service will be held TODAY, TUESDAY, November 6, 2007 at 10:00 AM in the Beth Israel Cemetery, Jackson St., Avon with Rabbi Michael Pincus officiating. Memorial contributions can be made to Macular Degeneration Research at John Dempsey Hospital, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington 06032. Arrangements entrusted to Weinstein Mortuary, Hartford. For further information, directions, or to share memories of Kappy with his family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.