Fay Feldman

Fay Goodman Feldman Born March 17, 1934; Died October 9, 20017 Born during the Depression, Fay Feldman learned to use her clever, strong mind to entertain, cajole, and delight people. Her Savannah, Georgia-born father, Fred Goodman, passed away when Fay was only two and her brother, Sidney, three. Their mother, Lilly, had to scrape in order to support her two young children, but they managed to find happiness: going to the movies, traveling on the train to visit relatives (where Fay remembers she ate pickles), and enjoying neighborhood friends. Fay often reminisced about how “fresh” she could be as a child, being relegated to sitting outside on the milk box. Needless-to-say, that “fresh” little girl grew into a sassy, brave woman. At age fifteen, Fay met “the love of my life,” Don Feldman, and although they were only 18 and 20, they married, even though Don had to serve two years during the Korean War. Two years later, they found a house on Long Island, across the street from Don’s sister, where four daughters were born before Fay turned 28. Unfortunately, Fay’s mother died when she was pregnant with her fourth child, Lillian, who was named after her late grandmother. Before Fay and Don’s fifth child (a boy!) was born, Don hatched a scheme to move his family of six to Las Vegas where he planned to buy into his cousin’s construction business. Arriving in the mid-August swelter, two of their girls at her side, a six-months pregnant Fay stepped onto the tarmac announcing, “He’s brought me to Hell.” After only one year, Don and his cousin, Burton decided to close Cousins Construction and opened Charleston Plaza Bake Shop, resuming Don’s trade. Fay stayed home with their children, creating the playful, warm, sometimes chaotic life that centered on Fay’s whims and desires—playful, smart, curious, and stubborn. Just as all of her children knew how important it was to keep Mom happy, Fay knew it as her job was to keep Don happy. Most of the time, theirs was a contented household. As the years went by, Fay reminisced that she was sad every time one of her children “flew the nest.” Loving children the way she did (“I only kept having children not because we wanted a boy, but because I loved children.”), as soon as her first grandchild, Rachel, joined the family, Fay again blossomed. Now she could have all of the fun, none of the responsibilities. Rachel got to be the “only” for six years, until Molly, then Sarah, Michelle, Kate, Heather, Emily, Avi, Zach, and Cara joined ranks. Fay (and yes, Don, also) reveled in their grandchildren, singling each one out for special gifts, and one-on-one attention. Fay Goodman Feldman only had one man in her life, and together they shared 63 years of joy, passion, sadness, and humor (lots of humor). They were close to their siblings, Elaine and Sidney (with their spouses), their parents, their friends, and their nieces and nephews. Also, she was “Aunt Fay” to many of her children’s friends. Fay’s story would not be complete without the mention of “my Marsha”: Marsha Bogach, Fay’s friend who’d walked up to Fay’s house “because I saw a menorah in the window” beginning a loving, enduring friendship that enveloped their husbands, as well. Fay and Don, with Marsha and Kenny traveled together, gambled together, laughed and cried together. Their children are “cousins at heart.” Each of Fay and Don’s children—Nancy (Paul): Molly and Kate; Lynn (David): Zachary; Bonni (Dave): Rachel (Patrick) and their two children (Mallory and Elliott), Sarah, Emily; Lillian: Michelle and her daughter (Zoey); Heather; Michael (Michelle): Avi, Cara—treasured their loving mother/grandmother/great-grandmother. Fay’s life indelibly touched each one. *Services were at the King David Chapel at Palm Mortuary on October 13, 2017. In lieu of flowers, a donation to an Alzheimer’s charity would be appreciated.