Frederick Joseph Feuerbach

1928 - 2024

Dr. Frederick Joseph Feuerbach, Jr., of Lenox, MA, passed away on February 23, 2024, at the age of 95. He will be remembered as a kind, empathetic, loving person; a respected and compassionate pediatrician; a generous and principled community member; an avid learner; a loyal friend; and a beloved father, grandfather, and great grandfather.

Born in Spring Lake, NJ, on August 20, 1928, to Frederick Feuerbach and Hilda (née Volz), Fred spent much of his early life in Larchmont, NY, developing his superior tennis skills at the Larchmont Shore Club and on the local Flint Park courts. He attended Iona High School and received his BS from Holy Cross College and his MD from Temple University. After graduating from Temple University, Fred did his residency training in pediatrics at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital. In 1959, he established his private pediatric practice in his hometown of Larchmont, NY, where he practiced until his retirement in 1999. He married Mary Jane (Wahn) in 1954 and the two went on to raise 6 children in Larchmont, NY.

An esteemed pediatrician in Larchmont, NY, Fred was perhaps best known for his willingness to provide house calls and phone consultations to patients and non-patients alike throughout his life. Families in Larchmont still miss his gentle and kind care. In addition to his full-time practice, Fred was the assistant director of pediatrics at New Rochelle Hospital and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College Hospital throughout his career. He was also the school physician for the Mamaroneck High School athletic program from 1973- 1999.

Fred was forever trying to better the lives of community members around him. He was the Chairman and co-founder of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Narcotics Guidance Council, a state-funded agency working to remove the stigma of drug abuse and to provide counseling in the local community from 1971-1999.

Fred was a compassionate and principled man. He felt strongly about social justice and stood up for his beliefs by participating in peaceful, public protest. His family and friends remember his activism related to the Vietnam War, nuclear war, women's rights, and indigenous people.

In 1976, Fred volunteered in the mountains of Guatemala as part of the American Indian Rescue team after a devastating earthquake destroyed the area. In 1977, he volunteered at the Navajo Hospital in Crown Point, New Mexico, serving the Navajo Nation. These two opportunities forever changed his life and shaped his view of his role in the world. He became an ardent supporter of the rights and causes of indigenous people as a result of this work.

Fred was an avid learner who was a passionate reader of James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and all of the expats in Paris in the 1920s. He was a member of the James Joyce Society for many years and enrolled in history and literature courses at the NYC museums and at Williams College and Berkshire Community College during his retirement. His children remember the many lectures he took them to at The Museum of Natural History in NYC to hear Dian Fossey, Margaret Mead, and Jane Goodall and other famous archaeologists and anthropologists.

Upon his retirement, Fred and Mary Jane moved to Lee, Massachusetts, where they were embraced by their new community, joining bridge and tennis leagues, getting involved in local politics, and meeting for weekly lunches and dinners at the Heritage House and Joe's Diner. Before Mary Jane's death in 2008, they enjoyed taking long drives around the Berkshires together, stopping into antique stores along the way. Fred combined his love of tennis and his desire to serve the community by acting as an assistant tennis coach for the Lee High School varsity girls tennis team for several seasons.

Soon after the death of Mary Jane, Fred experienced a tragic loss- his daughter Caroline Lofgren, her husband Parker and their two children, Sophie (8) and Owen (10) died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Fred supported and guided his family during the years following this tragedy. The family worked to pass CO laws in many states including Colorado, Maine, Connecticut, Oregon, and Washington.

Fred's greatest love was his family. He recognized the uniqueness of each of his six children and supported them wholeheartedly in their individual endeavors. Fred was predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Mary Jane; his daughter Caroline Lofgren and her husband, Parker; his two grandchildren, Owen and Sophie Lofgren; his daughter-in-law Renee (Dauita); and his sisters, Mary Lou Mannix and Hildegarde Crimmins. He is survived by his brother, John Feuerbach; his children Kathy Feuerbach of Great Barrington, MA; Hildy Feuerbach and her husband Scott Folger of Rockport, MA; Frederick Feuerbach of Larchmont, NY; Maria Dempsey and her husband Louis of Weston, CT; and Christina Fedolfi and her husband Charles of West Hartford, CT; and his grandchildren Garrett Folger and his wife, Gretchen, and Emmett Folger; Nicholas Feuerbach and his wife Michelle; Luke and Jack Dempsey; Leo and Anna Feuerbach; and Giancarlo and Greta Fedolfi; his great-grandson Finley Feuerbach; and many cherished extended family members and friends. He was deeply loved by all of them.

The family would like to extend their deepest thanks to Kimball Farms Assisted Living and Nursing Care Center in Lenox, MA, for the outstanding care they provided to Fred. The care team there treated Fred as if he were the only patient under their care. In addition, Hospice Care of the Berkshires helped Fred and his family navigate the road to death kindly and with great care. Finally, the family has such gratitude and love for close family friend, Mary Ann Dunn, owner of Comfort & Care in the Twilight Years, who cared and advocated for Fred when his children could not be present. His life was made better by these wonderful caregivers.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Counseling Center, an organization near and dear to his heart.