Stephen Michael Feldman

Stephen M. Feldman of Apollo Beach, Florida, passed away on December 22, 2023, at age 81. Born to Meyer and Annette Feldman in Philadelphia on November 1, 1942, he attended Temple University and its School of Dentistry, graduating with a D.D.S. in 1967. He then joined the U.S. Air Force as a captain, assigned to Norton AFB in San Bernardino, CA, and became its preventive dental officer. While there he met Sargent Anna Robinette-Workman Feldman, who he married in March of 1969. Upon his release from the Air Force, he joined the New Jersey Army National Guard in 1969 and then in 1976 transferred to the US Army Reserves.

He trained in periodontics at Loyola University of Chicago and became certified 1971 in periodontics, joining the faculty of New Jersey Dental School that year, teaching periodontics and coordinating preventive dentistry, which became his professional passion. He received a M.S. Ed. from the University of Southern California in 1974. In 1976 he joined the faculty at the University of Louisville (Kentucky), where he continued as a tenured associate professor to teach periodontics and preventive dentistry and also was Director of Continuing Dental Education and Community Services. He received numerous awards at the university and in local and national dental societies.

Dr. Feldman volunteered to do dental exams and give preventive dentistry talks in the community and he frequently appeared as a guest in the visual, audio and print media on preventive dentistry topics. He also published numerous scientific articles in professional journals and gave professional presentations at national dental meetings, retiring from Louisville in 2002 and moved to California, New Mexico, and then Florida. He contributed numerous letters to the editor to newspapers, a favorite hobby of his. He was also an avid photographer and has thousands of pictures catalogued in his numerous albums. Dr. Feldman was a true friend to those with whom he came in contact. May his memory be a blessing.

In the past 19 years he has lived in Florida where he was a member of Congregation Beth Shalom of Brandon. Unfortunately, the community surrounding the Temple suffers from both housing and food insecurity, as it is in many communities. Given that it is one of the very important tenets from God, he felt it was incumbent on him to volunteer in the monthly foodbank which is part of the Outreach Programs at his synagogue.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Anna, his daughter, Samantha Feldman Ashby, and his two grandchildren, Rowan and Amara, who live in New Mexico.

Stephen’s obituary can be viewed on Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home’s website: hillsboromemorial.com Should you choose to donate in memory of Stephen, please consider the following:

Congregation Beth Shalom of Brandon: bethshalom-brandon.org. Feeding Tampa Bay: feedingtampabay.org and Metropolitan Ministries: metromin.org.