Robert "Bob" Ira Feinstein

It´s going to be Robert´s Birthday on Dec 1st. We traditionally would go to silver star Chinese restaurant. He liked the old time feel of the place. There is a large wooden relief carving of a dragon that forms a room divider. We would trace with our fingertips the shape and texture of this intricate structure and feel the many scales of the dragon, the claws, the beard and the serpentine tail. I think he appreciated that I took the time to reveal that to him because he had walked under it and been seated many times underneath without perception. Michael and I miss you so much buddy! I love you Robert!

I drove Bob to the Cleveland Airport and walked with him to the check in. The attendant asked me if he needed help boarding. Bob answered "He's blind ne's not deaf." Ivory once told me how they went to see Wait Until Dark and Bob laughed when Audrey Hepburn bumped a chair. Someone in the row in front, scowled at them "How can you laugh?!!!). At the end he said the look he got was priceless. Bob had his cane. Two of the finest friends I knew at Burton Hall!

I was a dear friend of Robert's and I miss him very much, but I know one day I will see him again. Love, Alice

I met Bob in 2011 as a volunteer helper. But it is impossible to just be an acquaintance to someone like him. We quickly became friends. I have many fond memories of being his seeing person to go to Mirage, to his favorite greek cafeteria until it closed and to his favorite chinese restaurant. I can hear his laugh alway in my memory.
The greatest gift Bob possessed was the ability to connect with anyone he spoke to.

Bob and I were fellow French majors back in the 60´s. I first met him in French summer school in Quebec, and we remained friends for quite a while. Several times I met him in Montreal and we dined out and endlessly walked the city. I liked to tease him about his French accent, which he insisted he didn´t have. He taught me to play several Joan Baez songs (that I still play) and playfully mocked my terrible singing voice. He taught me much of the French l have today. In the past years I lost contact with Bob, much to my great regret. I´ll miss knowing that he is no longer there on Bachelder (sic) Street ready to pick up the phone at the most outrageous late hours and never in the morning. Adieu Robert ton virus copin, Lyn.

Bob was such a lively, loving, funny, thoughtful man. I´m so grateful to have had him in my life. We hadn´t been in touch this year and I knew in my heart that he had passed when I called him for his birthday and the line was disconnected. I´m heartbroken that I won´t hear more stories about Matilda (his cane), his experiences traveling the world as a blind person, his love of Jean Ritchie, or his wonderful memories of his mother and his friends - particularly his blind friend who told his mother she had lovely curtains, and his mother thanked her, and Robert couldn´t understand why his mom thanked her when they both knew there were no curtains! She was being polite to the girl who so desperately wanted to be sighted. I will miss him dearly and hold him forever in my heart.

I was introduced to Robert around 1990 by my former partner who asked if I could volunteer and help him. I remember Harley running down the hall to greet me on my first visit. From there we became good friends. I visited him weekly to read mail, pay bills, run errands and just relate as gay friends. After chores we would often go for walks to local diners on Kings Highway or occasional trips to Manhattan. I joined him on a few occasions to meet his aunts on holidays whom he adored and a met a few of his other blind friends. Once I moved to Denver I always made a point to pay a visit when I was in NY once or twice a year and he always had tasks I was happy to help with. At one point he even toyed with the idea of moving to Denver. I will always remember his laugh and his positive take on life even with his disability. Last I saw him was December 2021 and he was as always a joy. I wouldn't have known of his passing had I not run across this page while trying to contact him for a upcoming visit. We had fun! He liked to call me 'my boy' or 'Grant-a-pants'. Robert, as they say in french, you will be sorely missed.

I am very sad to hear that Robert aka Bob is not with us anymore. He was a very lovely and curious person with a great heart who was always ready to tell a joke or share a Yiddish word with me (to see what the matching German word sounds like). I am grateful that he took the time to share his memories and thoughts on being blind and the importance of his helpers and allowed me to record it. If you want to hear his story in his words, you can listen to the final piece "Not in the cards" (18 minutes), that was published on Transom: https://transom.org/2019/not-in-the-cards/

Robert had a special place in his heart for the deaf community. He spent $3000 to purchase a braille TTY so he could volunteer at Help Line helping deaf people make calls. At the time, it was the only service for the deaf.