Arnold David Federman

1931 - 2023

Arnold Federman passed away peacefully on September 16, 2023, the first night of Rosh Hashanah. Arnold celebrated his 92nd birthday on July 28th with his closest family: his daughters Sue from Los Angeles & Betsy from Jacksonville, his sister Trina and her daughters Annice from New Jersey, Wendy & Debbi from Cleveland. Everybody had a great time reminiscing with Arnold & he told many stories about his life, which he remembered in great detail. He could even remember bridge hands he had played months/years beforehand!

Arnold was born in Brooklyn in 1931 and spent his formative years there. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1952. He joined the US Air Force as a navigator and while stationed in El Paso, Texas he met his wife Ruth. His career brought him to Cleveland where he & Ruth started a family. His daughters were both born there.

Living in Cleveland from 1957-1967, Arnold enjoyed spending lots of time with his family. His parents Louis & Pearl Federman, his sister Trina, her husband Herb and their daughters. He also was an active member of the Temple. His long career in lighting/engineering and sales afforded him the opportunity to travel all over the world.

He moved to New Jersey and then expanded his sales experience beyond lighting. He became a very active member of Temple Sinai in Bergen County serving on many committees. After 25 years, he & Ruth were divorced. He spent some time as a bachelor and eventually met Lenore Silver. They spent 18 years as devoted companions, enjoying lots of traveling and splitting their time between Manhattan and Boynton Beach until Lenore’s death in 2019.

Arnold moved to Jacksonville, where he lived at Brookdale Southside. He made a lot of friends and enjoyed many activities including happy hours! He also enjoyed living close to his daughter, Betsy, who has been by his side until his death.

Arnold was fiercely intelligent, endlessly curious and extremely socially active. He made fast friends in the many places he’s lived or worked and never hesitated to seek out new connections. He loved music and art but was obsessed with history and had an insatiable appetite for the news. He always enjoyed hearing a good joke, and telling them! He was an avid bridge player and played 3-4 times a week for the last 30 years achieving the ranking of a Sapphire Life Master. He continued to play in person & online until one week before his passing.

He will be remembered fondly by his friends and family and is survived by his loving sister Trina Miller/two daughters Susan Federman and Betsy Federman, ,daughter-in-law Elissa Lutz/nieces Annice Miller Benamy, Wendy Birch (Rob), Debbi Cohen (Bryan) and all of their children.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Arnold’s name to:

—The Parkinson’s Foundation

parkinson.org under the tribute gifts link

—The American Cancer Society

donate.cancer.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgmandarin.com for the Federman family.