David Feindel was a founding member of Trail Works in the 1990s.
David Arthur Feindel of Nantucket, MA passed away peacefully from leukemia on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. He was 79. David was the beloved husband of Margaret (VanderBurgh) Feindel. Born in Danbury, CT May 28, 1943, he was the son of Clifford and Genevieve (Vachowski) Feindel who were both teachers. He grew up with his three brothers in a rural area of Framingham, MA where they helped his father build their family home. David met and dated Margaret through their years at Framingham High School and at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where David earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1966. They married in 1967 and set off for upstate New York where he pursued a 35 year career at Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, and Margaret a career in science, teaching and administration in West Irondequoit.
David’s first assignment at Kodak was participating in the development of the pre-Apollo Lunar Orbiter and aerial surveillance program. He later focused on commercial manufacturing and development of photographic products that supported the Kodak slogan “You push the button, we do the rest.” In high school and college David embraced a variety of extracurricular opportunities. He was a member of the varsity gymnastics and cross country teams. He played the French horn in both band and orchestra throughout his school years and was a member of Alph Sigma Phi fraternity at UMass. His interest in flying led him to begin training for a private pilot’s license in college. After several intervening years, he completed his training, attained his pilot’s license and became an active member of the Williamson Flying Club in Upstate New York.
David was the hub of his family and an ever present source of strength and resilience. He held most precious his faith, his family, and the community he lived in, continually seeking opportunities to help others in his quiet yet purposeful way. David’s love of the outdoors and respect for the environment was passed on to his two young sons during weekend camping trips and hiking, canoeing and fishing excursions. The family most treasured their vacation time on Nantucket where he designed and built a summer cottage in 1972 that eventually became David and Margaret’s retirement home where the family continues to gather.
Later David and Margaret moved from Rochester to Pultneyville, NY, a hamlet on Lake Ontario in the town of Williamson. David had a passion for local history and became an active member of the Pultneyville Historical Society, helping to acquire a historic home for their program and headquarters. He was a strong advocate of land planning in Williamson that included development of hiking trails. David promoted the formation of Trail Works, Inc., extending trails by connecting points of interest that drew hikers and nature lovers from throughout the region. His concern for town planning acted in synergy with his interest in history and creation of nature trails when he became an active member and then chairman of the Williamson Planning Board, organizing a town wide charrette, inviting ideas to retain the historic and agricultural roots of the Town of Williamson.
In 2008, when David and Margaret retired to Nantucket, David continued his enthusiasm for local history, volunteering his skills at the Nantucket Historical Association and assisting in the construction and display of exhibits. His four granddaughters were his pride and joy. He relished their arrival in the summer for birthday parties, beach outings, hikes, story telling and evening games of bocci, each in turn learning to ride bikes with their grandfather’s help. David encouraged them to experiment with building and design, teaching them to use tools and opening up his wood shop for spur of the moment Rube Goldberg projects. He encouraged collections of sea shells, stones, pine cones, twigs and bark that the girls transformed into unique and creative decorations. David could pretty much fix, solve, re-assemble or improve on anything they asked him.
David lived his faith. His kindness, generosity and steadfast belief will be long remembered by those who knew him. At St. Mary’s on Nantucket he served as a Parish Council member and a Eucharistic minister. He enjoyed active membership in and was a tireless advocate for the Knights of Columbus, an organization close to his heart with a strong commitment to helping others. In addition to his loving wife of 55 years, Margaret, he leaves his sons, Timothy David (Kathleen) of Las Vegas, NV and Scott Clifford of Scottsville, NY.; granddaughters, Emily, Ellie, Gillian, and Ivy Feindel; brothers, Thomas (Muffie) of Berlin, MA, Joseph (Eileen) of Hillsboro, NH, and William (Cindy) of Framingham, MA; sister-in-law, Laura VanderBurgh of Rockport, MA. In addition he leaves many beloved nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial is planned for Monday, October 3, 2022 at noon at St. Mary’s, Our Lady of the Isle, Nantucket, MA. In lieu of flowers, gifts in David’s memory may be made to Trail Works, Inc., PO Box 43, Williamson, NY 14589 or Nantucket Conservation Foundation, PO Box 13, Nantucket, MA. 02554.
