Howard B. Feltman

Howard B. Feltman died at the age of 97 in Sarasota, Fla. Predeceased by his beloved wife of more than sixty years Adrienne Feltman, he is survived by his sons Arthur Feltman and David Feltman, his son-in-law Dale Wallington, his sister Elinor Sanders and cherished nieces and nephews. Born in Paterson, N.J. to Abraham I. Feltman, an attorney, and Matilda (Tillie) Feltman, he was raised during the Depression, which scarred both him and his parents. Howard interrupted his higher education to enroll in the Navy, where he served as a pharmacist’s mate at the end of World War II, treating a torrent of wounded sailors and soldiers. Howard returned to Ohio University to complete his degree on the GI bill, studying accounting, and graduating with a BS in Commerce in 1950. He returned to New Jersey to help support his widowed mother. He joined Elkay Industries of New York, NY, a large manufacturer of children’s wear. He later became president of an operating company, Pioneer Ltd., and a member of the corporate board of directors. A co-founder of the Children’s Wear Manufacturing Assn., the President of the United States appointed Mr. Feltman to represent the textile and apparel industries on a national advisory panel regarding the Flammable Fabrics Act. In that role, he reversed his industry’s long-standing opposition to the Act, embracing, instead, the larger public interest in protecting children from enflamed clothing, especially sleepwear. For his courage and ethics, he won multiple awards from national medical societies. After retirement from business, Mr. Feltman taught business at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Dominican College in New York, and at Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey. Since high school, Howard was enamored of sports, including boxing and several ball sports. He played tennis regularly with his family. He followed football and baseball on TV. In later years, due to a family connection, he became a fervent Philadelphia Phillies fan, which gave him great pleasure. Howard and his wife Adrienne were active in Oradell, NJ, where they resided. They organized a chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to support other parents of gay children. They were very engaged in the Bergen County, N.J. Democratic Party as volunteers, donors and, in Adrienne’s case, as staff. The Feltmans settled in the Landings in Sarasota in 2000. To enhance their community’s cultural and intellectual environment, they founded and ran the Landings Learning Group, which brought professors, musicians and other guest lecturers to present their knowledge and talent. With neighbors Al and Evelyn Clark, they started an annual Seder of Hope at Temple Sinai to raise awareness of and funds to combat AIDS. They also initiated an annual Veterans’ Day commemoration at the Landings. After 97 fulfilling years of hard work, disciplined exercise and virtuous deeds, Howard B. Feltman has found his rest. Burial will be at National Veterans’ Cemetery, 9810 State Rd. 72, Sarasota, Fla. on Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.

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Howard B. Feltman

August 11, 2024