Martin Feibish, 90

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Martin Feibish passed away on Nov. 12 at home from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was the beloved husband of Gloria (Zias) Feibish for 66 years. Martin was born in the Bronx, New York City, a son of Max and Ada Feibish, and moved to Providence in 1962. He was the devoted and dear brother of Norma Shorin (deceased) and loving uncle of Carol Desforges (John) and Loraine Schwartz (Marty) (deceased).

Martin was a devoted husband, son, brother and friend, caring, compassionate, fair-minded, non-judgmental, a good listener, philanthropic and always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. He was his wife’s special caregiver, helping her recover from many surgeries, and was his wife’s biggest supporter in her work with children with special disabilities. He had extensive community involvement in Jewish charitable organizations such as the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, The Adele Decof Foundation for Cancer Research and the Bureau of Jewish Education, where he was the recipient of a special “Builder of Jewish Education” Award. He helped to raise funds for many of these organizations.

Martin enjoyed a stellar reputation in the financial services industry as an honorable, capable, effective and highly intelligent professional, and received numerous awards for his service and production. He believed strongly in continuous education and taught many courses on insurance at the University of RI Extension. He was a CLU and attained higher levels of recognition throughout his business career. His photograph is in the Phoenix Mutual Insurance Company’s Hall of Fame.

Martin also excelled in sports and was an avid golfer, proud of achieving two Hole-in-One awards, and tennis player, and when he was young, played baseball. He was so good at baseball, he was selected to play on the St. Louis Cardinal’s farm team league. He rejected the offer, choosing college over baseball.

Martin was a lifelong, ardent fan of the New York Yankees. It was easy to attend games when he was young as he lived across the street from Yankee Stadium. He never stopped telling people that he was lucky enough to watch Lou Gehrig play. When he and Gloria moved to Rhode Island, he adopted all the New England teams, especially the Patriots – right from their beginnings in New England. He and his friends attended every home game for many years, and he was so proud to see them become champions and enjoyed watching their popularity grow. Martin took a lot of teasing about staying a Yankee fan, but that was a big part of him, and he was loyal to them until the end of his life.

One of Martin’s aides, who cared for him during his final illness, called him a “beautiful soul,” and many others thought of him as a very special person. He will be missed.

For those who may want to honor Martin’s memory, a contribution to American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) of RI, P.O. Box 41659, Providence, RI 02940; or HopeHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904; or Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center of RI, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906 would be appreciated.