MICHAEL EDWARD FELD

Condolences & Memories (6 entries)

• We had a thriving email correspondence for over a decade. We disagreed about many things, which helped our correspondence thrive. - Posted by: Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Friend) on: May 28, 2025

• When I came to UManitoba in 1982 on a one-year contract as a young German professor, Michael went out of his way to become an immediate and supportive friend. He and Kitty invited me to many dinners, we talked Jewish vs Dutch Calvinist philosophy (yes, there are similarities), we did morning swims at ungodly hours. After three years I moved to a different university in another province, but Michael stayed in touch and continued to be a friend, both in person and on Facebook, never failing in his timely birthday message. I will miss you, Michael! and my warm and sincere condolences to Kitty. - Posted by: Hermina (Minnie) Joldersma (colleague and friend) on: May 25, 2025

• I knew Michael before he was Dr. Feld, and am glad to discover in these tributes what a highly respected professor he was. Michael and I were undergraduates at the University of Manitoba and the same time and shared a small circle of friends. He and I kept in touch when we were in different cities, by paper letter in those days, and after he returned to Winnipeg from the US with his wife, Kitty, we would all get together when we were in the same city, Toronto in my case. I visited them once in Vancouver, and kept in touch through phone calls, not as frequently as I would have liked, but often when I thought of phoning it would be his mealtime. There was always a great deal to say, often about people we knew in common and what had become of all of us in the passing decades. I am very sad that these conversations have stopped—they were never finished. It was a shock to phone in November and get the message that he had already passed, particularly since at first I thought I was hearing his voice! But then I remembered how frail his voice had become, along with his general health, and how restricted his life had become. Kitty—what can one say? After a long life of exemplary devotion to one another, I hope you are at least physically comfortable in your current home. (I saw this death notice in the print version of the Globe and Mail but didn’t know how to send a condolence there, so here it is back home in the Free Press.) - Posted by: Marvyne Jenoff (Friend) on: Mar 17, 2025

• A wonderful Man, a wonderful Mind-- that was Michael Feld. Kindly, respectfully, but unflinchingly he taught by his example to reach deeply for the truth and to share it for the well being of all. My deepest condolences to his beloved wife and partner Kitty, May Michael rest in the peace of his wisdom forever. Laura Steiman Shofley - Posted by: Laura Leah Steiman Shofley (Old friend) on: Mar 09, 2025

• It was sheer good luck that I was a student of this genius. The process of choosing which courses to sign up for was sheer mayhem in the gymnasium of the University of Manitoba. It was pitch black and jam-packed with panicking, prospective students. The names of the courses, that were still available, were hastily scribbled and projected onto a huge wall by a series of overhead-projectors. The drill was to rush to a desk and sign up before the course was filled. But, it took NO time before the courses were filled and stricken off the list by a menacing black magic-marker! "Anthropology"..."Psychology"..."Biology"..."History".... You literally had to choose your future courses almost without any thought, or else. But, when "Philosophy" suddenly appeared, my first thought was: YES! There's no math! There's no memorization! There's no right or wrong answers! It's all BS!!! Sign me up!!! Ha. Then, along comes that magical day: I was sitting in a huge lecture hall—like a football stadium, with rows of ascending seats—and who should appear front and center? A tall, thin, wise-looking, bearded man, who was the spitting image of Jesus! Indeed: Professor Feld WAS a god. His calm, intriguing voice penetrated your core. There wasn't a peep in the big hall. We became his disciples. Never, in my long life, have I been in the presence of such an enthralling, enlightened, challenging mind. I took every other course that Professor/Dr. Feld taught. I was always his under his spell and I still am. His death is such a terrible loss. But, I am SO grateful to have enjoyed the privilege of his wisdom and charm. (PS: I received the Award for "Top Honours Student in Philosophy". I can only thank Professor Feld for opening my mind and motivating me to gain this precious education.) - Posted by: Andy Stout (Student of every class that he taught at the University of Manitoba.) on: Mar 09, 2025

• Professor Feld was a real inspiration and made philosophy the most interesting course in which I had ever enrolled. He always posed the most challenging questions so his classes were not easy but always thought provoking. My condolences to his family and may you always remember that Michael made a real academic contribution to the U of M. - Posted by: Erling Braaten (Former student) on: Mar 08, 2025