To have lived in the Town of Ashford is to have known Clifford H. Feldman. If you knew him, you know that he was never seen working without his bright red Cliff Feldman Excavating hat perched high atop his head. He was the person who dug your house’s foundation and built its walls. He drove your kids’ school bus and sponsored their baseball teams. He delivered your milk in glass bottles, ensured your water was safe for drinking, named the street on which you live, and buried your loved ones. Cliff Feldman impacted his home of West Valley, and the surrounding region, in ways both quantifiable and unmeasurable, for the whole time he lived there, which is to say, his entire life: eighty-one years. He died on June 2, 2020.

Born at home on September 9, 1938, Cliff was the youngest of ten siblings. Growing up on a farm, he learned from near-infancy the value of hard work. Throughout his life, Cliff maintained this value system unwaveringly. He worked for himself via his company, Cliff Feldman Excavating, from 1961 until Fall 2019. As of March 2020, he was still plowing West Valley’s snow. Additionally, Cliff served as a Board member on the Allegany Co-op Insurance Company for 22 years.

Not only did Cliff find value in his work, he enjoyed it. He loved being outside and solving problems and having reasons to not sit still. He loved the community that work provided him, how his profession literally entrenched him in the fibers of a place—he built his house, street, and neighborhood beginning in the early 1960s. He loved, too, the surprises that work offered: in the 1970s, he inadvertently excavated mastodon teeth (those teeth are still on display in the family living room). People often called Cliff with surprising requests: sometimes they needed help pulling cars and tractors from snow banks; other times, their pets and farm animals were in need of burying. His children often called for creative problem-solving to help make their houses homes. He spent his life as the go-to guy for so many of us and that loss will be greatly felt.

Anyone who knew him likely has one (or several) of his well-worn jokes memorized, and has more than once appreciated the affinity Cliff had for funny faces. When asked an opinion about clothing, he would frequently reply, “I like green no matter what color it is.” And, though he didn’t get paid for his services, he was an official Christmas Cookie Froster every December since 1977. (Family and friends across the country can confirm his frosting signature: a pooping camel.)

Cliff’s life, of course, cannot be measured solely in his work achievements and tenacity. He loved greatly, and was greatly loved in return. Cliff enjoyed almost 45 years of marriage to the love of his life, Valerie. His camera always at the ready, Cliff captured the moments, big and small, that brought him such joy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Dorothy (Goodemote) Feldman; and his siblings, Ellsworth (Betty) Feldman, Eleanor (Bus) Brown, Donald (Helen) Feldman, Raymond (Carol) Feldman, Gerald (Gertie) Feldman, Louis (Rose) Feldman, Eunice Linsler, Marilyn (Merritt) Shaffner, Doris (Russell) Digati.

Cliff is survived by his wife Valerie M. Feldman, to whom he was married on June 20, 1975; his children, Leroy (Maureen) Feldman, Michele (Kevin) Jakob, Brett Mercer, Pamela (Don) Munn; his grandchildren, Caitlin and Devin Feldman, Landon Jakob; his sister-in-law Gertie Feldman; and many nieces and nephews who loved him as their own. Cliff is also survived by his daughters’ dogs, Abre and Maxwell; he grew to enjoy these granddogs, much to everyone’s surprise.

While mourning his loss, memories of Cliff giving a small wave and a warm smile will sustain us. We are reminded of song lyrics from his favorite movie, The Jungle Book:
“Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn’t be fonder of my big home.
The bare necessities of life will come to you.”

A burial will be held in late June, to be attended by immediate family. A public memorial will be held at a later date to honor Cliff in the way we know he deserves. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made payable to the Parkinson's Foundation Western New York Chapter, and sent to:

Parkinson's Foundation Western New York Chapter
2805 Wehrle Drive, Suite 12
Williamsville, NY 14221