Obituary of Robert A. Feldman
ROBERT A. FELDMAN
May 17, 2018 at age 89. Predeceased by his wife, Nancy Dillman Peck and parents, Joseph & Dorothe Feldman. He is survived by his children, Michael (Norma), Jonathan (Jill), Tim (Andrea) and Margaret Anzola; stepchildren Kate Nelson (Brent Nelson), Ned Peck, and David Peck (Ray Kelly); grandchildren, Joseph, Gabe (Gloria), Jayme, Jason, Alex, Sarah, Moira, Katherine, Henry and Jacqueline; and four great-grandchildren.
A native Rochesterian, Robert A. Feldman was born May 1, 1929, and was graduated from Brighton High School. He attended Harvard College, graduating in 1951 as an Honors Student, and earned his law degree in 1954 from Yale Law School. Mr. Feldman was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1954 and joined the firm of Sutherland, Linowitz and Williams in Rochester. In 1959 he became an associate in the firm of Antell, Potter and Harris where he practiced for the next seven years. During that time, he also actively participated in several Jewish community projects which resulted in his winning the Benjamin Goldstein Memorial leadership award for general contributions to the Jewish community in 1962.
In 1965 Democratic candidate Robert Feldman ran for a seat on the all Republican town council in Brighton. He later moved from Brighton into the City of Rochester to accept the position of Corporation Counsel, a role in which he served from 1967 until 1970. Mr. Feldman resigned from city government to become a partner in the firm of Levy, Feldman & Licata.
Mr. Feldman served as President of the Monroe County Bar Association in 1982. As President-elect in 1981 he became involved in the fight to save the Legal Services Corporation and traveled to Washington with other association leaders to lobby for funding. The year following his term as president, he became the first chairman of the board of directors for the Volunteer Legal Services Project. Ensuring access to legal services for low and moderate income citizens was a continuous theme throughout his career, as was his interest in the betterment of the community at large. At the time of his retirement from the active practice of law in 2010, after 56 years, Mr. Feldman was senior counsel at Ward Greenberg Heller & Reidy, LLP.
Bob Feldman has been praised for his community involvement, advocacy in civil liberty issues, and interest in human services. He served as a director of the Urban League of Rochester, the Rochester Area Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union. He had been president of the Rochester Council on Independent Schools, the Harvard Club of Rochester, and the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar. During his tenure as a director of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation from 1974 – 1979, Bob Feldman became known for his outspoken manner, often criticizing the majority Republican OTB Corporation directors excessive T&E spending with candor and wit.
Bob and his first wife, Sally Polsky Feldman Cohen, raised their four children in Rochester. In 1982 Bob married Nancy D. Peck, recently graduated from the University of Buffalo School of Law. Together, Bob and Nancy shared a love of the law, reading, tennis, and family, and practiced their professions while making time to travel the globe. A knowledgeable and passionate sports fan, Bob’s first love was the Boston Red Sox, the team he had followed since his undergraduate days at Harvard. Originally (and, perhaps, always) a fan of “the New York Football Giants”, Bob came to love the Buffalo Bills, as well. Not one to only watch from the bleachers, he and three friends had a standing Saturday morning doubles match at Midtown Tennis for more than 20 years. And, as a “collector” of miscellaneous, often little-known, pieces of information gained from his voracious reading of all kinds of material, Bob was known to close friends and associates as “Small Facts Feldman” – a nickname first earned in high school – as an homage to his retentive memory for all types of data.
Funeral Services will be held on TUESDAY, May 22, 2018 at 11 AM in the sanctuary of Temple B'rith Kodesh (2131 Elmwood Avenue) Interment will take place privately in White Haven Memorial Park.
The Family will receive friends TUESDAY from 6-9 PM back at Temple B'rith Kodesh.
Donations may be made to the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar, 1 West Main Street, 10th Floor, Rochester, New York 14614.
