David Stuart Feder

David Feder, loving husband, proud and adoring father, brother and grandfather and an accomplished and respected national hospitality industry executive, passed away on Sunday, October 10, 2021.

David’s highest priority and most significant source of happiness was his family.  He is remembered with love by his cherished wife of 24 years Renee and treasured children Sara (Guillermo Melo), Catherine, and Garrett, along with grandson Sebastian and family pup Miley.   David is also survived by his brother Robert Feder (Sharon), his in-laws Paul and Barbara Kipp, numerous nieces and nephews, and former spouse Carolyn.

The eldest son of Leon and Doris Feder, David was born in New York and raised in Westchester County.  His father, after a long career in insurance, bought a boutique hotel in upstate NY where, as a young man, David worked in various capacities, forming the foundation of what would become a successful and distinguished career at some of the most iconic hotel and resort destinations. For more than six decades, his career was focused solely in the hospitality industry where he valued lifelong friendships with clients and colleagues and considered staff members “family.”  His work ethic and leadership qualities marked his success in the luxury resort industry, but it was the intrinsic enjoyment he found in mentoring and caring about employees, customers, and guests that was his true motivator. 

After earning his MBA from American University in Washington D.C., David began his career at the Plaza Hotel in NYC.   Over the span of his career, he held executive positions at several other preeminent luxury properties, including The St. Francis San Francisco, Princess Hotels International, Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort, The Breakers Palm Beach, Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, PGA National Resort & Spa, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Spa.  He spent 17 years at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, ultimately serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of the publicly traded parent company, Boca Resorts, Inc.  Most recently, David was tapped to oversee the revisioning of Trump National Doral where he led the transformation of the 800-acre resort and navigated it through the challenges presented by Covid-19.

Nothing gave David more pride than his children and grandson. He loved sharing their accomplishments with friends and colleagues and would stop any meeting to take their phone calls. Their happiness, well-being, and the development of their character were of utmost importance to David.  He adored and treasured his wife, Renee, and was so proud of her accomplishments.  David loved life…his family, friends, employees, colleagues, and his golf buddies, and he found strength and solace in his faith in God.  As an avid sports fan, he loved being on the golf course with friends and traveling the world to play golf on every continent, in addition to watching his favorite football, basketball, or baseball team, surrounded by his family.

He contributed to his community and prioritized the needs of local families and South Florida tourism.  He served on the Florida governor-appointed Board of Trustees of Florida Atlantic University for eight years, as president of Palm Beach County Tourist & Development Board and the Palm Beach County Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and its Executive Resort Committee. David was a board member of the Boca Raton Community Hospital Foundation (now Boca Raton Regional Hospital), Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, Florida Sports Hall of Fame, The Fiesta Bowl (football), the Greater Miami and The Beaches Hotel Association, and on the Place of Hope Advisory Board.

Among his many professional and community recognitions, he was presented the Palm Beach Tourism and Development Life Time Achievement Award, Gulf Stream Council Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award, the Palm Beach International Film Festival Founder’s Award, LEAH “Bridge Builder” Award, and most recently, Place of Hope’s Jay DiPietro’s Hero of Hope Award along with his wife Renee.

His family, friends, and colleagues will forever remember and deeply miss his overwhelming generosity, sense of humor, and natural affability.

The Feder family would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the Sandler Pavilion and staff, Dr. Warren Brenner, Dr. Seba Krumholtz, MD Anderson Houston, TX, Dr. Jaffer Ajani and Dr. Ranjit Nair for all their care.

David’s Celebration of Life will take place on Sunday, October 24, at 2:00 PM, at The Boca Raton (formerly The Boca Raton Resort & Club) in the Mizner Center. The family will also streamline the service on Zoom.  Please click the following link  http://us02web.zoom.us/j/87084575168?pwd=RExNZWIzNnRmSnMwNGRsNHBzRzdSZz09  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the: David S. Feder Scholarship Fund at FAU http://fauf.fau.edu/davidsfederscholarshipfund to support the College of Business with an interest in Hospitality.

We encourage you to share your stories of David with the family via email to:  rememberingdavidfeder@gmail.com

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