I just learned about the passing of Max, one of my most favorite students at Beth Yeshurun Day School.  I always looked forward to having Max in my class.  He was smart, clever and a bit shy, but he had fun in my classes because that is all I really asked of my students.  He was also the brother of Taylor, my nephew’s friend.  It was always fun to see him outside of school.
I am so saddened by his passing.

May his memory be a blessing.

Shelley R. Nathan

I met Max at Davidson College.   My daughter Aly Dove, and Max were co-founders of the nonprofit organization YouthMap.  I was always so excited for the YouthMap Gala nights where the hard work of Aly, Max, and their committee members impacted the lives of teenagers.
My deepest condolences to all those who knew and loved Max.


My deepest condolences, I'm very sorry for your loss .

My deepest condolences, I'm very saddened for your loss.

I met Max during the summer of 2015 when was working as a Vann Fellow in the Mayo Clinic Biomedical Ethics Program.  He was part of a wonderful group of 5 undergrads, of whom I collectively acted sort of like a "Den Mother".  Max was inquisitive,  dedicated, and fun to interact with.  His smile was awesome and his sense of humor unique.  I will missing knowing that this young man whom I had the pleasure of mentoring is off doing great things.

My condolences to Max's family and friends.   You will be in my thoughts in the coming days.

take care, jen

I met Max in college during his freshman orientation. Though we didn’t stay in touch after my graduation, I have always looked fondly on my memories of him and our time as friends at Davidson. Max was one of those rare people who had a presence and spark in their eyes when you were with them, which reflected the deep and kind person he was. 

Sending love to his family and friends. May his memory be a blessing, as his life certainly was.

To the family- I'm so sorry for your loss. May his memory be a blessing.

A brief memory of Max- I was in a sociology course with him and on the first day we had a great discussion. I knew Max from campus involvements but I'd never had class with him. His insights were sharp and funny. Later, outside the library, I asked him if he was excited for the rest of the course. He said he was actually dropping the course, but that "if you were the professor then I would stay". Max didn't realize this, but I had been toying with the idea of going to graduate school to become a professor. His small comment and ability to see the good in others ended up meaning so much to me, and is always what I will think of when I think of Max. 

(2/2) Max had piercing blue eyes and an all-encompassing smile, which erupted across his face in a full ear-to-ear grin that made you feel like everything was okay. I needed that smile when I got into my first fender-bender with him; he kept me calm, documented everything in pictures, and made polite jabs at the rude man yelling at me in the parking lot. When I drove to Davidson, Max knew I have the worst sense of direction (it’s embarrassing), and made a video documenting the street I would drive in on, where I would park, where he would meet me, etc. He was one of the most compassionate, kind, and considerate people I have ever met.

Max was destined for greatness. After hearing of his passing earlier this week, one of our fellow Mayo interns told me she thought he was going to become the next Surgeon General. I looked forward to the day when I would say “I knew him when…” His loss is a tragedy not only for friends and family, but also for the world. He was an incredible human being, and although only here for 26 years, he made more of a difference in this world than most people do in a lifetime.

Max, thank you for everything. I love you and miss you so incredibly much. It was an honor to call you my friend, and although you may be gone, the world remains more beautiful because you were once in it <3

(1/2) Putting what Max meant to me in words is difficult – there is simply no way to pay tribute to such an amazing person. We met the summer of 2015 while interning at Mayo. I was terrified to move halfway across the country by myself, knowing no one. Little did I know that I would make an incredible friend who profoundly shaped my life trajectory and world outlook for the better. 

That summer we wrote, edited, and rewrote our med school applications together. Although we had just met, I valued Max’s opinion more than anyone else’s, and the experience provided a unique opportunity to intimately get to know one another as we pored over personal essays. Max was candid, humble, brilliant, and genuine. He cared more about my success than even I did. Max was always his friends’ biggest cheerleader, making you feel loved, respected, and special. When the summer ended, we visited each other at our respective colleges, my college friends becoming his friends, and vice versa. After every acceptance, Max called, texted, or posted on Facebook to congratulate me. I was absolutely thrilled when he got into UCSF! I will always remember the day we committed to our dream schools together before a 9-mile hike with friends through the Shenandoah. I’m so glad I got a chance to visit Max in San Francisco – he absolutely loved it there.

But Max was so much more than a genius academic. He was fun-loving, humorous, and spontaneous. One of my favorite memories was when he randomly decided to learn to unicycle in Rochester just because. He would traverse the downtown streets reaching from wall to wall to steady himself, and if a wall wasn’t there, one of our shoulders would do. On another whim, Max decided to buy a plush placenta from a whimsical toy store. Although I was uncomfortable posing with a placenta like it was our small child in the middle of downtown Richmond, now I’m grateful for the pictures to document the moment - it's like Max knew I was going to pursue OBGYN.

I was incredibly lucky to have a best friend in Max through middle and high school. To say he had an infectiously compassionate persona would be an understatement. All who were fortunate enough to know Max were better for it.

I’ll hold onto the laughs we shared after breaking prosthetic bones for our 8th grade science fair project or stumbling through our first debate tournament as bright-eyed novices. We would pore over, in an unreasonable amount of detail, our homework as a team to ensure we had every potential grade point covered. We attempted to navigate whatever social paradigms adolescence put in front of us. He’d likely agree that we failed. We were young and dumb together, and I can’t be more grateful for the lessons he imparted.

My thoughts are fully and completely with his family at this time. Max, I love and miss you dearly. Thank you for everything.

Max was the first person I ever knew from UCSF, what a wonderful way to be introduced to the program! He called me after I was accepted to medical school and spoke with me on the phone for over an hour, answering all my questions . We had an immediate bond as we were both from Texas . :) He was a great comfort for me in such a  transitional period of life. He was kind, compassionate, funny,  and truly genuine. <3  

I just wanted to tell the Feinstein family how sorry we were to hear about Max's death. Our daughter, Angie, swam well Max was a diver at Davidson. We remember him fondly. We want you to know that our hearts go out to you. I'm sure there are lots and lots of people that you are unaware of that are thinking of you at this time. Just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you.
Anne, Paul,  and Angie Healy

Max was my best friend in middle school. He was always such a positive, wonderful, inquisitive, and intelligent presence. I'll never forget checking our math homework together every night; all the bar and bat mitzvahs we went to together; when we played water polo together; all the fun we used to have at each other's houses; his idiosyncratic and highly expressive mannerisms. He was special, kind, capable, determined, clever, and so very smart. He will be missed by many, but we will never forget him; he leaves quite an impression. I learned much from my time with Max, and will undoubtedly carry it forward with me.  Thank you, Max.

I was lucky enough to have Max in biology class when he was a first-year student at Davidson.  He always asked the most interesting, intelligent, creative, challenging, and genuinely curious questions. He was the type of student you wanted filling the room.  But most of all, he filled the room with his big heart, great smile, and boundless kindness.  From that semester on, we had many great conversations.  He was a joy to talk to, and I always wanted to hear about his projects, usually serving others, and about his aspirations. He was a man of conviction and activism, standing up even to powerful opposition for causes and values he believed in.  Because of his broad and sharp intellect, and especially because of his patient and generous personality and excellent communication skills, I hired him to be a peer tutor of biology, chemistry, and psychology in our Center for Teaching and Learning.  Not surprisingly, he was a highly sought-after tutor, and he held the position for three of his four years in college.  I was always amazed by his ability to juggle all his responsibilities and to do them all so well: the tutoring, the tremendous dedication to academics, the demanding Division I diving, and many other meaningful extracurriculars in service and leadership.  And I remember being thrilled when he told me he got into UCSF for medical school.  I don't think I've ever been more certain that a person would make a huge positive impact on the world than I was with Max.  I'm terribly heartbroken by his passing and am so deeply sorry for his family, whom I met at least once at a family event in Davidson.  We're not supposed to have favorites, but Max was definitely one of my favorite students ever.  All of us have lost a truly special human being.

Max and I met when we first volunteered at the homeless shelter about 3 years ago- who knew we would work so closely in the future!
Fast forward to 2017, we worked together making glasses for children with craniofacial anomalies. I spent more time with you in the two past years than anyone else. I talked to you and met up with you every single week, so my life feels so different without our jokes and side conversations. I hope to get this Loving Eyes Foundation video that you narrated to your family- you did such a great job narrating and I'm so glad we decided your voice was better than any of ours. Thank you for being such a big part of my daily life, you were such an amazing spirit. 

I met Max when we were 18 and in our last year of high school. I had just moved to another high school and faced the challenge of making a group of friends in senior year while everyone already knew each other. 

I was initially scared that nobody would be interested in meeting me, but I remember Max bursting into my life with a big smile, a great sense of humor and a non-judgmental attitude. He invited me to every party he had that year, and made me feel relaxed and always welcome in his home.

I remember spending our free time at school talking about our relationships and what it was like to fall in love with someone. Most of all, I remember feeling incredibly awed that someone so intelligent and athletic could be so vulnerable and sensitive. He taught me to be more in tune with my feelings, something that I would later need when I wanted to make friends in college.

At the end of that year, I was sad when I found out we would be going to different universities, but I was comforted by the fact that other people would get to meet Max for the first time, and have the incredible thrill of being with him in the same room.

We'll miss you Max, it was a great honor to know you. Your compassion will be an everlasting lesson to me.

I had the great privilege to meet Max for the first time a little over three years ago. We both coordinated volunteers for the shelter clinic at UCSF--he organized the medical students and I the nursing students. Max quickly became my right hand man as we coordinated volunteers and organized an elective together and he would give me the biggest hugs whenever I saw him on campus. Best of all were our trips home on the bus together. We would talk about running, his home in Texas, relationships, religion, and our dreams for our futures. He never ceased to surprise me with his fast wit, his incredible ability fo fully listen with compassion and kindness, and his razor sharp intelligence. Most of all, he was truly humble. Despite having already accomplished so much in his 23 years of life when we first met, it took prying to learn about all that he had done, and he was quick to deflect compliments. Max remains truly one of the most genuine, thoughtful, and loving humans I have had the honor to know and form a friendship with. A huge light has left this world. I wish I had one more bus trip with Max to remind him just how grateful I am for his presence in my life and the lives of so many others. I miss you Max.

Max was such a great person and very sensitive to his fellow students. We (his assigned small group of medical students) asked him to take this group selfie and right afterwards he was very self-conscious about putting himself in the middle of the picture. We had to reassure him that it was a fine picture and that it was okay that he was in the center of the picture.  I'm so glad we didn't let him take another one.

Max was so fun-loving and kind. He was an irreplaceable,  dear friend of our daughter, Ali, her fiance Brian, and our whole family. My earliest memory of him was watching him give a huge, warm hug and  hand up to Ali as a dive teammate. He seemed so happy and loved by his tight-knit group of friends at Davidson. He was so compassionate, making it a priority to help the homeless and underserved. Our family was blessed to spend many wonderful times with him - dive meets and yummy meals in Davidson, celebrating his Davidson marathon, graduation, Charlotte get-togethers, Atlanta fun and most recently a lovely few weeks during Christmas 2018 (photo of snuggi smile). He had a zest for life, endless curiosity and was very brave and motivated to experience as much in life as possible, which led to many Max stories. He was also brilliant, highly accomplished and exemplified an amazing work ethic. But his big heart and beautiful smile is what I will miss most. Love you lots Max. 

Max was a superman. He was without a doubt one of the most talented, intelligent, and genuinely selfless people I have known. While there are too many wonderful memories to share, I wanted to mention one of my favorites:

A few months ago, a group of us, including Max, spent what I will always remember as a quintessential San Francisco Saturday together.  We lay in the sun at Dolores Park, reminiscing about how far we had come in life and in med school. We reflected on our highs and lows. Our relationships, our friendships, our failures, and successes. We talked about what the future would hold for each of us. Max even recruited some of us to be subjects for one of his many research studies that he was incredibly passionate about. One of the last messages we exchanged was him telling me "Your eye was just presented at our lab meeting. You're the healthiest eye in our study haha", to which I replied "I got my eye on you Max! Even when you don't know that I'm watching".

I love you Max and will always cherish our friendship. Thank you for the memories. 

Max will be remembered forever. I was blessed and lucky to have Max in Judaica and Hebrew class in elementary school he was always so kind, pleasant, smart and bright with a golden heart. compassionate and caring for others, every teacher's dream to have a young boy and a student like Max had  a good sense of humor and sincere when the time was right.  May he rest in peace, my deepest condolences to the family and friends and everyone that knew Max.  יהי שמו וזיכרו ברוך ונישמתו בגן  עדן. לא אשכח את מאקס לעולם
המקום ינחם אתכם
May God give strength to his family and friends
Aliza Porat

Max and I first met while I was on my surgery rotation at the San Francisco General hospital. Max was in the class above me and I had previously only known him as acquaintances. However, when he joined our class to complete his surgery rotation, we were quickly drawn to each other. My first impression of him was made during a small-group didactic session on the surgical management of lung cancer. He was sharp as a tack - quickly rattling off the distinguishing features between Lambert-Eaton’s and Myasthenia Gravis, two often confused conditions, with a wonderfully thorough and clear explanation. I could tell that he took his work very seriously and within the first few minutes of meeting him I had the pleasure of catching a small glimpse of the hundreds, if not thousands, of untold hours he had already invested to reach the point of wisdom and grace with which he carried himself. Beyond his superior intellect, he was extremely kind and pleasant. He always made an effort to share his experience as an upperclassman and put his younger colleagues at ease. He also took interest in our lives beyond school. The last time we spoke, a few months ago, Max went out of his way to congratulate me on my work on an extracurricular project that is very dear to my heart. He too shared his own aspirations with great humility - weaving his clear passion for service with his drive to create and innovate something useful and accessible that would improve the lives of others. His legacy will be felt and cherished by the entire UCSF community and I will carry him close to my heart and try my best to embody what made him such an incredible person, so that he may live on through us. 

I remember Max for his humor and his sincerity. I had someone close to me die suddenly in 2017 and Max reached out to me every couple of days for awhile after, just letting me know that he had me on his mind and that he was thinking about me. It hit me the right way and I will always remember him for knowing what to say in those days and weeks of grief. I can't believe I'm sending those same thoughts to his family and friends now, but he taught me well. 

Max was a wonderful classmate in medical school and immediately brightened up any room he walked into. If I ever ran into Max, we would share what was going on in our lives and though the interactions were brief I left feeling more connected with my medical school class and happy that I ran into him. 

OBITUARIO

Max Avery Feinstein

18 julio, 1993 – 16 enero, 2020

Green Street Mortuary

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