Obituary
Saul Feldman was born on July 29, 1924, in Brooklyn NY, and died on August 26, 2024, in Holly Hill FL. His parents were Joseph and Rose Feldman, who separately immigrated to the USA from what is now Ukraine in the early 20th century prior to World War I. Saul had one brother and one sister, neither of whom survived him.
Saul attended Brooklyn Technical HS, and later graduated from City College of NY with a degree in Electrical Engineering. After college, he joined the General Electric Company working at various locations around the country in support of Department of Defense projects. In 1958 he moved to Cocoa Beach, Florida, working on the Polaris missile system, designed to be launched from mobile submarines, where GE provided missile launch/fire control and the missile guidance system. From a Navy observation vessel, Saul witnessed the very first test launch in history of a missile from a submarine positioned below the water’s surface. Due to the stealth ability of submarines, this technology remains today as the most important part of the US nuclear response system to deter any adversaries from launching a first strike against the US.
In 1959, Saul and his first wife Judith became involved in the Surfside Players in Cocoa Beach, a group of amateur thespians that presented live community theatre. In 1960, Saul became the second president of the group, and spearheaded the construction of the Surfside Playhouse, which still remains today as the home of the Surfside Players, providing high quality theatrical performances to the community.
In 1964 Saul started working on the Apollo project to land men on the moon and return them safely to Earth, which led him to move to GE’s facility in Daytona Beach. He eventually became the Program Manager for two large GE contracts with NASA in support of the Apollo Project. During the historic Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, Saul was chosen by NASA to represent GE in the observation section directly behind the Mission Control room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Saul Feldman was a member of Temple Israel in Daytona Beach and served as President of the Temple from 2004-2006. He was also an active member of the EastBank Condominium Homeowners Association, serving on the Board of Directors as President and various other positions during the 38 years he lived there until 2017.
In 1983 Saul married Lorraine Kraft, the second marriage for both of them. They spent many happy years together, and enjoyed traveling around the world, as well as their time living in Daytona Beach FL. Lorraine passed away on August 14, 2020.
Saul Feldman is survived by his two sons from his first marriage, Michael Feldman of Alpharetta GA, and Richard Feldman of El Cerrito CA, along with Richard’s wife Toni and their daughter Marissa Feldman of Los Angeles, CA.
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