Obituary of Frank Feiner

Schenectady - Frank Feiner, 85, passed away Thursday, March 27, 2014 at Ellis Hospital. Frank was born May 8, 1928, in Hamburg, Germany, the only child of Herman Feiner, a judge and Dorothea Frank, from Berlin. At age 10, he fled Germany with his mother and on November 18, they set sail from Southhampton, England on the ship Deutschland for New York. He went to live with his mother's brother and wife and his maternal grandfather in Cleveland, OH. His mother spent the remainder of World War II in Borneo with his stepfather. Frank studied at Princeton University (BA 1950) and then at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (MS 1952; Ph.D. 1955). He went on to work for the US government-owned research group, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) in Niskayuna, NY on the naval nuclear propulsion program (1955-retirement). He also co-published the Chart of the Nuclides while at KAPL. He was a visiting professor of engineering physics at Cornell's College of Engineering in 1967 to 1968. He was a strong patron of the arts and loved opera. He was a great supporter of liberal causes, always eager to learn new things, and a volunteer mentor in the Schenectady public school system. He was an active participant in the Union College Academy for Lifelong Learning and held several leadership positions at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady. He was chosen to serve on the Board of Assessment Review of the Town of Niskayuna and was a member of the Schenectady Torch Club. He is survived by his wife, Rose Cooper; and by his cousin, Dr. Inge Flehmig of Hamburg. From his first marriage to the late Marjorie Stone, he is survived by his son, Richard Feiner and his wife, Annette Stover of New York City; and his daughter, Claire Feiner of Albany. He also is survived by his stepdaughters, Glinda Cooper of Washington, DC and Sally Cooper of Montreal, Canada. He has three grandchildren, Jordan Feiner of New York City, and Emma and Seung Whitehead of Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady (UUSS). A memorial service will be held at the UUSS on Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m.