John Louis Feldman

December 6, 1957 — July 7, 2021

John Feldman died peacefully in New York City on July 7, 2021. He was 63 years old. He is survived by his wife, Demetria Gallegos of Hoboken, NJ and four children: Jamie Feldman of Portland, OR; Alexander Gallegos of Philadelphia PA; Anna Feldman of New Haven, CT; and Bella Gallegos of Los Angeles, CA. He is also survived by his brother, David Feldman, and wife Debra Higley-Feldman of Lakewood, CO.

John was born on December 6, 1957 in Sacramento, CA to Alvin Lindbergh Feldman and Rosemily Petrison Feldman. He graduated from Cherry Creek High School in Denver, and received a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1980.

His early career working in marketing and economic forecasting for four airlines—Frontier, NY Air, TWA and Northwest—aligned with his interests in international travel, medieval history, and rare book collecting.

His status as an airline analyst allowed him to travel the world quite extensively. John became a noted expert on illuminated medieval manuscripts, traveling frequently to international rare book auctions and fairs in London and elsewhere. He made many friends among the top dealers, auctioneers, curators and scholars in this field. For many years, along with partner Guy M. Santo, he operated his own business buying and selling manuscripts, a firm they called Quill & Vellum.

One find of which he was very proud was of a 12th-century manuscript from the Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny in France. It had been misidentified at auction as 14th-century because its condition was so exceptional. This single purchase and profitable resale helped his family move from Lakewood to a bigger home in Evergreen, CO in 1999.

He made multiple, generous donations to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, gifting, among other treasures, a 13th-century French bible in memory of his mother and father. (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466297). He also donated several important medieval stained-glass panels to the Met. He was named a Fellow for Life of the museum in 1990.

John also made numerous smaller donations of medieval manuscript leaves, printed books, catalogs and reference works to the rare books room at Norlin Library, University of Colorado, Boulder (his alma mater); the library of Regis University in Denver; and other institutions. Along the way, John created what was probably the first computer database for tracking auction sales of medieval manuscripts across the 20th century, an innovative tool which today resides in the research collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

John was also drawn to Mark Twain books and letters, expanding upon one of the rare book collections begun by his father. He later sold the collection to the University of California at Berkeley's Mark Twain Papers (https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/bancroft-library/mark-twain-papers) library.

John was a tireless researcher of family genealogy, working to contact lost relatives and compile photos In 1999 he self-published two volumes: “The Feldman Family” and “The Rudman and Yakse Families” for his mother’s lineage, both of which were shared with the Denver Public Library’s Genealogy collection.

In 2014, he self-published “Travels In The United States: 1793-1842”, a compendium of early travel writing which grew out of his interest in Western Americana. Its purpose, as he stated was “to answer what it was to travel in the United States in the early years of the Republic.” His conclusion: “The differences of opinion of these many European travelers to the early United States is remarkable, and certainly gives us a full view of the U.S. during these exciting fifty years. Americans during this time were a proud people of their ‘Empire of Liberty’ as President Jefferson called the United States. Americans especially wanted to hear praise of the U.S. from foreign travelers, but such praise was only cautiously proffered. Just as in the early nineteenth century, people from around the world are still emigrating to the U.S. looking for opportunity unavailable in the lands of their birth.”

After marrying Demetria in 1994, John was a stay-at-home parent for his four children during their early years, imparting to them his avid love for the wilderness surrounding their home Evergreen, a rural community in the foothills above Denver. He was passionate about reading and classical music, interested in liberal politics, and worked as a volunteer, paraprofessional, and substitute teacher in his children’s elementary school.

John moved his family to Manhattan in 2010 to support his wife’s new job at The Wall Street Journal. He reveled in the food and culture of the big city, in addition to being closer to his beloved Met.

John was most proud of being a father to compassionate and industrious children. In addition to many other life skills, he instilled in his son and daughters a love for the beautiful outdoors through long walks, hikes, bike rides, camping, and road trips through national and state parks. A vegetarian since his 20s, John modeled caregiving for his family and also care for the planet. His son is still a vegetarian and his three daughters are all pursuing careers in environmental fields.

John was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration in 2014. It is the most prevalent form of dementia among people under age 60. He ultimately succumbed to pneumonia after a brief hospitalization.

He has been interred in a family plot at the El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Association for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. (https://www.theaftd.org/)