Paula A. Feddersen

Paula Anne Christina Feddersen otherwise known as “Ferdie” was born on January 28, 1937 during a wild snow storm in Wallace, Idaho. She attended grammar school in Kellogg Idaho, a silver, copper and lead mining town in the panhandle region of northern Idaho until 1950 where she played the flute in the school band. As a child, Paula also had two Pinto horses, named “Paint” and “Lady”, which she rode in local parades throughout the year. During high school, Paula attended Annie Wright, an Episcopal seminary for girls, founded in 1884 in Tacoma, Washington overlooking Puget Sound. There she was an alpine skier and sang in the choir. Graduating in 1954 from Annie Wright, Paula headed “back east” to Wellesley College where she studied psychology for two years.

In 1959 she moved to New York, New York. According to her neighbors, Paula brought her very own personal horse saddle to New York to decorate her one room studio which must have been quite the conversation piece. Clearly Paula never forgot her northwestern rustic roots from whence she came.

From 1960-1980, Paula was employed at the not-for-profit Trail Blazers Camp in northern New Jersey (established in 1887) as the Director of the Boys Program and Assistant to the Executive Director. She was extremely dedicated to this non-profit for young people and spoke about her experience there for the rest of her life. This early employment opportunity, over the course of two decades, was no doubt transformative for her and perhaps also served as a conduit to share with others what she had experienced in her own outdoor upbringing as a child in rural Idaho. The Trail Blazers Camp gave, and continues to give, urban kids a chance to learn about nature and gain confidence in a myriad of ways that benefit them for the rest of their lives. Having grown up among the Rocky Mountains as a youth, it seems only fitting that Paula would have naturally gravitated to such a position which took her back into the beauty of the natural world. The lifelong friendships she developed and cherished during this 20-year span of her early life was evidenced by her attendance in 2005 at a Trail Blazer’s Reunion held at Lake Tahoe, California where she reminisced with her former colleagues who meant so much to her. Paula was without a doubt a people-person. This is certainly well-noted by the number of densely packed address books which were found on her home desk! Throughout the 1970’s, Paula attended the City College of New York and Hunter College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

In 1971 Paula moved to Jane Street, a unique and historic section of lower Manhattan with Dutch-inspired architecture and cobble stone streets. She immediately joined the Jane Street Block Association (founded in 1970). She became more actively involved in 1978 and eventually became President. She contributed to the “Jane Streeter”, the newsletter of the Jane Street Block Association which kept this very treasured neighborhood, consisting of only 5 blocks in length (nestled between Greenwich Avenue and West Street) very well connected. Living in this historic and cozy neighborhood, Paula became an activist in so many local ways in order to preserve it and to help her community. Paula was a member of the Greenwich Village Task Force as well as the Quality of Life Task Force of the Greenwich Village Block Association. In 2004, Paula was involved in another local initiative, spearheading a campaign to survey and monitor the noise levels of the Hudson River Park events. Paula, representing the Jane Street Block Association, testified at the Board of Standards and Appeals to fight the residential development of 848 Washington Street. Her position argued that the commercial history of the waterfront on the west side of New York City was important to maintain for everyone in the city. Paula was also involved with the ongoing quest for civil rights including the historic Stonewall protest in 1969 which occurred on Christopher Street in the nearby West Village. Today The Stonewall Inn is an internationally recognized LGBTQ rights movement landmark and was designated as such in 2016.

It wasn’t until 1980 that Paula “hung up a shingle” as a bookkeeper in Greenwich Village. Paula set up book keeping for many new and local independent small businesses. Paula attended accounting courses at nearby New York University to educate herself as a bookkeeper. When she wasn’t doing her mathematical wizardry, she was arbitrating disputes between local residents and businesses and keeping the peace. Thus, she earned the much beloved title of “The Mayor of Jane Street”.

Found among Paula’s papers at her 50 stair walk-up studio apartment at 51 Jane Street was a well-worn newspaper clipping that she had cut out describing what it meant to be born under the Aquarius zodiac sign. It seems particularly apt in her case and it reads in part: “Injustice and inequality to themselves and to others fills them with horror and indignation. Aquarians also make good, loyal friends. They work best in organized situations and can be tireless workers, especially if they have a “cause”. They strive always, for the great promise of real peace and common brotherhood.” No doubt she saved these words because they gave her purpose and strength in her life and she lived them to a “T”.

Paula spent many years as the president of the Jane Street Association, a volunteer position she held until 2015 until the age of 77. During her tenure as President, Paula negotiated with the city of New York to establish, maintain and preserve a sitting garden at the corner of Jane and 8th Street which continues to serve as a valuable and much-loved community space. To this day the garden reflects her dedication and admiration she had for this unique and historic neighborhood that is so genuinely friendly and caring, being of human-scale with its historic brick low-rise buildings. A neighborhood that is especially famous as the location of the “Christmas Tree Man”, Billy Romp, who travels from Vermont on an annual basis to sell Christmas trees during the entire month of December on this special corner of the neighborhood. You can read about this decade’s long tradition in the little book published in 2008 entitled: Christmas on Jane Street: A True Story.

Paula’s home away from home was the Jane Street Tavern which she frequented it seemed nearly every day that she was residing in New York. There she experienced true warmth and friendship unequivocally. In 2017, after her 80th birthday party at another local venue, which also doubles as a frequent movie set in New York City, her leftover birthday cake was carried by hand to the kitchen at the Jane Street Tavern where they graciously and without hesitation agreed to refrigerate it for her. There was no physical way that these cakes could have ever fit in her own apartment’s vintage 1950’s General Electric refrigerator! At times the Jane Street Tavern seemed like an extension of her very modest studio apartment and Paula often “held court” there with her visitors from out of town. It was a vital social connection for her and they were her true family for decades. How lucky Paula was to have established this social network within such a vast metropolis as New York City!

Paula never ventured far from her Jane Street neighborhood. On many occasions over the years, when a suggestion was made to meet at a museum up town she would consistently reply ‘honey, I never go above 28th street”. There is nothing up “there” for her that she couldn't find in the Village. How right she was! Her “Jane Street adopted family” really came through for Paula in her later years, when life became tough for Paula. Paula enjoyed surrounding herself with friends of all ages and backgrounds. Miriam, her lifelong companion also lived only 10 doors down at 61 Jane Street. During the Pandemic, one very close friend set up a GoFundMe site so that Paula could remain in her studio apartment despite the rising cost of living which had outpaced her means.

Paula was a principled human being. She rose against injustice that she saw around her and she always sought fairness. Paula wasn’t afraid of many of life’s challenges. She was a very determined soul and in her 80’s battled lymphoma successfully despite the pandemic. She was a fiercely independent person. She took care of others, and often at her own expense. Her Jane Street neighbors and shop keepers were extremely kind and generous to Paula especially in her later years which was demonstrated on a continuous basis and for which Paula’s family is extremely grateful.

If you would like to honor Paula and her life, please consider a contribution to

the Trail Blazer Camps( [email protected]) or https://secure.givelively.org/donate/trail-blazer-camps/in-memory-of-paula-ferdie-fedderson (this link was created to dedicate donations in honor of Paula's life) or

to the Jane Street Block Association ([email protected]), two organizations which meant the world to Paula and enhanced her life immeasurably.

Paula was predeceased by her two older sisters Janet Ingvoldstad of Hicksville, New York and Patricia Feddersen of Needham, Massachusetts. Paula leaves behind a host of wonderful friends on Jane Street as well as nephews and nieces including Paul Ingvoldstad of West Islip, Long Island, Karen Ingvoldstad of Hicksville, Long Island, Peter Ingvoldstad of Jeffersonville, Vermont, David Ingvoldstad of Mount Sinai, Long Island, Kris Lingo of Morrisville, New York, Elizabeth Neuman of Clinton, Massachusetts and Ingrid Neuman of Providence, Rhode Island.

She will be sorely missed and remembered often. May she rest in Peace.

A memorial service for Paula will be held on Saturday, May 17 at 10 AM at the Beney Funeral Home at 79 Berry Hill Road in Syosset, Long Island, 11791.