Arthur Charles Feinstein

Arthur Charles Feinstein, M.D, F.A.C.S., was a prominent general and oncological Atlanta surgeon who, during his career, prolonged the lives of hundreds of individuals and one silverback gorilla at Zoo Atlanta. Dr. Feinstein passed away December 14, 2021 in Atlanta, GA.

The son of David and Rose Feinstein (both deceased); Arthur (Art) Feinstein was born September 18, 1942, in Brooklyn, NY. He moved with his parents and sister, Susan to Atlanta in 1953.

At the age of four, Art declared on a record, sent by his mother to his father overseas during WW II, that he wanted to be a doctor. He never wavered.

After graduating from Druid Hills High School in 1960, he attended Emory University pre-med with a chemistry major. Four years later, his education continued at the Medical College of Georgia, where he received his M.D. in 1968, followed by a one-year internship at Miamonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. He did not go alone.

He married Jeannie Maslia, daughter of Henry and Stella Maslia of Atlanta in June 1968. After his four-year surgical residency at the Medical College of Georgia ended in 1969, he joined the medical practice of Dr. Pendegrast in the historic W.W. Orr Building on Peachtree Street. He later co-established Atlanta Surgical Associates, affiliated with Crawford Long Hospital.

Dr. Feinstein balanced his professional life with his family life to spend time with his wife and two children, Scott Michael and Cari Michelle, supporting their school and extracurricular activities when he wasn’t in surgery. When time permitted, they explored the world.

His profession wasn’t his only passion in life that required capable hands. His skills in photography, woodcarving, drawing, painting, and computer-aided design were outstanding—enough to earn him an “art” show in a Blue Ridge gallery.

A voracious non-fiction reader, many of his creations were inspired by nature and wildlife. His interest encouraged him to volunteer at the Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta, where he conducted tours. An unexpected challenge came when he was asked to perform surgery on an ailing silverback gorilla. Knowing the physiology and biology of the silverback were similar to humans, Dr. Feinstein stepped in, and the surgery was successful.

After retiring from private practice, he served as an attending surgeon at Atlanta’s VA Medical Center, where he trained surgical residents in the art of saving lives.

Dr. Feinstein is survived by his wife Jeannie, children Scott Michael Feinstein and Cari Michelle DeHass, sister Susan Feinstein Hawkins and Jim Hawkins, grandchildren Grace Dyan Feinstein and Emerson Rose DeHass, extended family and friends who miss him already.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either Zoo Atlanta (https:/give.zooatlanta.org/donate) or the Georgia Aquarium (https: //www.georgiaaquarium.org/donations).