Lawrence H. Kandel, decorated war vet, tax expert

Lawrence H. Kandel stood over 6 feet 8, above the Army's height limitation, but with World War II raging, he was desperate to join the fight.

So, when he went for his physical, he slumped enough to have his height recorded as 6 feet 6. Although he got in the service, he often found that the uniforms issued him didn't fit. His pants were often embarrassingly short.

At first, because of his height, the Army gave him a stateside assignment, thinking he was unfit for combat. That changed when the brass realized that Larry was a sharpshooter, and off he went to the war in Europe.

He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and other important combat engagements.

Larry Kandel, who after the war taught accounting at Temple University, who worked for the IRS for a time and later did private income-tax preparation, and who was an accomplished clarinetist and member of a local orchestra, died July 5. He was 81 and lived in Debary, Fla. He had formerly lived in Washington Crossing.

He was born in Baltimore to Isadore and Anna Kandel. The family moved to Philadelphia when he was a boy and he graduated from Olney High School in 1943.

Like many World War II veterans, Larry talked little about his experiences. But one story he liked to tell was about the night he was leading a patrol that encountered a German detachment.

Although the two units were only yards apart and knew of the presence of the other, no shots were fired. His lesson from this was that no one wanted to die.

Larry received an accounting degree from Temple. After a stint teaching at his alma mater and later as an IRS agent, he began his own practice with a partner.

He then joined the Philadelphia accounting firm of Main Lafrentz & Co. as a tax expert.

In 1969, he was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor on the spinal cord, and due to an overdose of radiation was left paralyzed from the chest down. He was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

But after rehabilitation at the Rusk Institute in New York, Larry was ready to resume his business life. He opened an accounting business at One Oxford Valley, and also worked out of his home.

As a musician, Larry played with the Old York Road Symphony.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; two daughters, Linda and Andrea; a son, Donald; and six grandchildren.

Services: He had requested no funeral.

Contributions may be made to the Washington Center for Internships, 1333 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, or the National Conference for Community and Justice in Hartford, Conn. *