HARLINGEN — Friends remember Charley Feldman as a big-hearted community leader who helped bring the arts to Harlingen.
Feldman died Monday in Dallas. He was 85.
“He was the very best of our community,” former Harlingen City Commissioner Donna Bonner said. She met Feldman more than 50 years ago.
“He was the truest friend anybody ever had,” she said. “He was everything that was good and kind. He was a contributor to everything. He held my hand through all kinds of grief and sadness.”
Feldman served on boards including the Harlingen Industrial Committee, the South Texas Chorale and Harlingen Arts and Entertainment.
After serving in the Army, Feldman planned to go to law school but took over the family’s liquor store business after his brother Harry died in 1965, Bonner said.
In 1988, he was named one of top 10 package store retailers in the United States.
About 10 years ago, he and his wife Helen moved to Dallas, her hometown.
“His heart never left Harlingen,” Bonner said.
