Celebrating the life of my Grandpa Howard.

‘We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.’ 

Although our memories were punctuated by the many  miles between, the good times had throughout my childhood with Grandpa and Grandma took me to Santa Monica Beach, through gallons of ‘gaspacho’, and on countless long walks. 

I wish there was one more trip out west, one more to say goodbye, but I know you you are now at peace.

I have a lifetime of memories of my father and it would be impossible to pick one that captures who he was and what made him the most content.  With that in mind, I keep coming back to "the beach" and "the den":

Going to the beach to  play sand volleyball was his "thing" and Dad spent many wonderful years playing with friends and family every weekend and holidays down at Sorrento beach.   He was famous for his two-handed shot that he could land anywhere on the opponent's side of the court - a foot from the net or an inch from the back line - all with seemingly the exact same motion.  It would drive opponents crazy!  Mom and Dad would go to Hawaii and "Maui Howie", as their local friends would call him, would do the same thing over there.  Mom and Dad enjoyed the beach life and all of their friends for many years.

Later in life, the den, which is in the center of our house, also became the center of Mom and Dad's universe (actually, it was that even as a young family).  With Dad's easy chair on one side, Mom's  chair on the other and the TV in front of them, they'd watch and discuss their favorite shows: Jeopardy, Rachel Maddow and all the rest.  "Do we like that?" Do we like him/her?" They'd ask each other and discuss (okay, argue a bit maybe).  And of course, covering the walls all the family photos to enjoy - kids, grand kids,  and great grand kids, as well as Mom's wonderful water colors she painted and framed herself.

It was a blessed life that these two - "Howie and Suzy" - led with many many wonderful memories which I will cherish forever.



  

My dad was a force to be reckoned with, and as gentle as when he fed blue jays out of his hand.
His influence is eternal to me.
He was a complicated man who loved the simple things in life:
clipping coupons with my mom, piling us all into the family station wagon for a not-so-planned trip around the country.
In my early teens Dad asked me if I wanted to give his beloved game of golf a try with him. I "graciously" declined, but I will never forget that moment.
Love surpasses death and lives on forever.

My father was the smartest person I have ever met.
Until the very end his mind was sharp.

My father was a fighter.
He fought his physical battles for so long so he could spend time with his family.

My father was a devoted husband.
His love for my mother was paramount in his life.

I had the privilege to speak with my father every evening for the past decade. 
I will think of him every evening at 5:00 🙂

Heidi 

 I am thankful for the the memories my children have of visiting their Great Grandpa on Dorothy Street, and I mourn the loss of that specific time as kids at my grandparent's house- all together crammed around a big table (that was actually an old door my grandmother repurposed), bumping the volleyball outside, playing basketball at Barrington Park or me and all of my boy cousins beating each other up when the adults were not paying attention.

In his old age, my grandfather softened in ways I could not have predicted as his granddaughter growing up. I was listening to a David Sedaris audiobook yesterday and he said about his aging father, "It's not that our father waited till this late in the game to win our hearts. It's that he's succeeding." No matter how complicated a relationship may be, there is still loss felt when that ends. Thank you for your condolences, our family appreciates it. 

OBITUARY

Howard B. Feinberg

2 June, 1926 – 4 March, 2021

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park, Mortuary & Crematory

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services