Mount Vernon Riverside Memorial- Sunday February 17, 2008

The Funeral of David Feder

At the last minute I decided to go down to Mount Vernon and attend the funeral of David Feder, AB Davis Class of 1961. I didn’t know David very well, but I had played basketball at Traphagen against him along with almost all the players from the classes from 1958 through my year of 1963. I had the dubious pleasure of trying to guard and score against the late great Richie Shapiro, Bobby Trupin, Barry Berkule, Mike Freedus, Mike “Beaver” Ansbro (Stepinac-1960), Ronnie Rothstein, Kenny Ackerman, Jack Bromley, Mickey Fuchs, Mal Gissen, Steve Blankstein, and other luminaries that graced those courts. Of course there were others like the late Dickie Grenadier, Warren Adis, Charles Columbus, Billy Platt, Joe Misthal, and Dave Feder.

At the service, on this cold and damp afternoon, over 150 people were in attendance to pay their respects. His mother, his wife, his three children and his brother Lewis and their progeny survived Dave, who was 64 years old. His children spoke very movingly from the podium of their father, who had been a loving parent, a selfless man, and who had spent his adult working life as a stockbroker. He was a life-long sports buff who enjoyed basketball and thrived on sport’s trivia. He loved hamburgers and pizza, and knew where all the best haunts were regarding that cuisine. He was, in the best sense of the term, a true family man, who also loved his work and his customers.

I had taken a look at the “memoriam” book, and was only able to recognize a name or two, but of course I knew his brother Lewis, who was a great friend of my sister Kaaren, and was also a member of her AB Davis Class of 1959. Lewis went on from Mount Vernon to Princeton and became a doctor and has been living and practicing in and around Sudbury, Ma, for thirty-five or so years. Interestingly, Lewis’s youngest daughter also went to Princeton and was in the Class of 1998 with my son Jon. The other name I recognized was Jerry Fuchs, who also was also a friend of Kaaren’s. Jerry went on to Yale, and is still living in NYC. So here we were together again. I had last talked to these guys at the White Plains Hotel in 1989 when I crashed my sister’s 30^th high school reunion. She was living in London, as she still does, and was unable to make the occasion, but I went in her place. It was nice spending a few minutes going over old stories, and Lewis was quite grateful that I came to the service. Lewis knew and remembered my parents quite well, and for that alone it made a sad trip more gratifying.  

The Journal News

David Bruce Feder passed away on February 14, 2008 following a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was 64 years old. David grew up in Mt. Vernon, NY, and received his degree from NYU in 1965. David and his beloved wife Sharyn of 40 years reside in South Salem, NY. In addition to his wife, he is survived by their three children, Michael, Kevin, Jennifer, and daughters-in-law Alyssa and Kira. David was “Poppi” to five cherished grandchildren, Joely, Peyton, Jordan, Dayna and Liam. David is also survived by his mother Dorothy Barnett of New York City, his brother Dr. Lewis Feder and his wife, Ronni of Sudbury, MA and nieces Emily and Dana. David was a true family man who loved coaching his children's team sports in the early years, and remained a prominent figure in their lives. David, a Senior Vice President with Smith Barney, loved being a Financial Advisor and thought of his clients as an extension of his family. David touched so many lives and will always be remembered. A memorial service will be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 21 W. Broad Street in Mount Vernon, NY on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Brain Tumor Foundation or The American Cancer Society.