Samuel Stanley Barry Feldman, 77, of Cobourg Ontario, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday July 15, 2021, surrounded by his three adoring children. Artist, author, historian and consummate adventurer, Stanley lived a full and robust life, enriched with travel, culture and the arts. Shortly before losing the love of his life in 2017, he was diagnosed with cancer, to which he eventually succumbed. Stanley is survived by his loving children, Liat Renée Feldman, Rafael Feldman (Consuelo Costin) and Yan Feldman (Danielle Stratton) as well as his brother, David Feldman. He was also a loving stepfather to Jason Gibson (Amberlee Anthony) and Cameron Gibson (Marketa Gibson), as well as grandfather to Jessica and Joshua Gibson.
Born with a wildly adventurous spirit in Dublin, Ireland on January 4, 1944 to Hymie and Renée Feldman, descendants of Jewish immigrants, Stanley was enthusiastic about the world and its many wonders from a very young age. Throughout his youth, he displayed great promise as a champion tennis player, but more importantly, as an inspired visual artist and painter. Throughout the 1960s, after graduating Trinity College with master’s degrees in Fine Arts and History, he embarked on numerous journeys to faraway places such as Kathmandu, Turkey and Afghanistan, to name a few. Many of these exotic locales were depicted in his early paintings and photographs. During his travels, he met and married his first wife in Israel. Together they returned to Dublin and started a family, where Stanley pursued his career in architectural and interior design, later designing the first Peter Marks hair salon on Grafton Street in Dublin.
In 1977, Stanley moved his family to Canada in search of opportunity. They settled in the Beaches area of Toronto, where they could be close to the water and Stanley could indulge his passion for sailing. Despite having almost no contacts or network in Canada, Stanley managed to carve out a successful real estate career, built almost entirely upon his unparalleled work ethic and high level of integrity in business. Though he experienced huge success in the Toronto real estate market over the ensuing decades, Stanley never forgot his creative roots. He remained a great patron of the arts and often enjoyed taking his children to performances at the Toronto Symphony, the National Ballet and the Canadian Opera Company. In the 1990s he enjoyed an artistic reawakening, returning to his paint brushes and canvas after more than twenty years. He soon won the respect and admiration of the art community with many of his works exhibited and sold in some of Toronto’s finest and trendiest restaurants, as well as adorning the walls of some of the city’s most prestigious institutions. Today, Stanley’s work can be found in private collections throughout Canada, the US and the rest of the world.
Through his circle of art world friends and gallery contacts, Stanley was introduced to Anne Gibson, and thus started a love story that would span nearly 30 years. They shared a passion for art, international travel and antiques, and they collaborated effortlessly to create a series of beautiful, elegant and comfortable homes and cottages together, in and outside of Toronto and then later in Cobourg, Ontario.
While their retirement plans may have been hampered by Anne’s cancer, she and Stanley managed to build a wonderful new life together in Cobourg and curated a tight-knit group of some of the most fabulous friends and neighbours anyone could ask for. Shortly before Anne’s passing in 2017, Stanley was struck down by his own illness and ultimately diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable form of cancer. Bravely he fought his way back from the brink, determined to fulfil some of the worldly pursuits he and his beloved had hoped to enjoy together. Against all odds, he made trips to extraordinary destinations like Italy, Cuba and France. He even traveled to Peru, where he successfully checked ‘climb Machu Picchu’ off their bucket list. All the while Stanley knew his time was short and he made great efforts to spend what time he had left sharing significant moments and memories with his children, stepsons and grandchildren. He enjoyed spending sunny mornings in the garden and afternoons toiling away on crossword puzzles with classical music playing faintly in the background. Whatever strength he could muster was spent dedicated in his studio, achieving some of his most accomplished works as an artist.
Stanley was a modern renaissance man, much loved by his friends and family. He was as well-known for his warm heart and thoughtful nature as he was for his razor-sharp intellect and acerbic wit. He could light up any room with his inimitable charm and boisterous personality. His knowledge of history, culture and world events made him a great conversationalist, lacing everything he said with careful thought, compassion and always a dash of that famous Feldman cynicism!
The tremendous outpour of kind words and messages from those whose lives he touched – including many who had been struck by only just a momentary encounter – is a testament to Stanley’s remarkable character. He was clearly no ordinary fellow and, for those who did know him, his wisdom, personality and humour shall endure in their hearts and minds as a lasting reminder of what it meant to have Stanley Feldman counted amongst their friends.
We would like to say a huge thank you to all the friends, family and neighbours who have helped and supported Stanley through the most difficult challenges of his beautiful life. In particular his sister-in-law, Kathie Pike, who has been a truly wonderful source of aid, comfort and kindness for Stanley and his family alike, even in the face of her own personal losses. We are so grateful to the doctors, nurses and all of the kind staff at Northumberland Hills Hospital who not only treated him as a human being, but as a member of their own family.
There are no words to describe the sadness and loss we all feel at this moment, but we will always take comfort in knowing that Stanley did things his way, right until the very end. His last days were peaceful and dignified, and he was surrounded by love and tenderness as he drifted off into the horizon of one of his own stunning landscapes “To listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.” – Oscar Wilde
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a gift to Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation to commemorate Stanley Feldman with an ‘Art Tile’ on their memorial wall. www.nhhfoundation.ca/give/bills-garden.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Samuel ‘Stanley’ Barry
Feldman 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Cobourg, Province: Ontario