Who was Alan Shawn Feinstein married to? Family life explored as revered philanthropist dies aged 93 

Veteran American philanthropist and mail-order and internet promoter Alan Shawn Feinstein passed away on Saturday, September 7, at the age of 93, at his home in Cranston, Rhode Island. The exact cause of his demise remains undisclosed at the time of writing.

According to his obituary posted by a Rhode Island-based funeral home Sugarman Sinai Memorial Chapel, he will have a private burial in the presence of close friends and family on September 21, at Historic Chapel in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, RI. However, the funeral services will also be live-streamed on Zoom.

For those uninitiated, Alan Shawn Feinstein married child psychiatrist Pratarnporn Cheimwichit Feinstein in 1963. The pair had three children—Leila Feinstein, Ari Feinstein, and Richard Feinstein.

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All you need to know about Alan Shawn Feinstein’s family life

Alan Shawn Feinstein was born in Milton, Massachusetts, in June 1931 to Louis Feinstein and his wife Lillian Pector. They later moved to Dorchester where he grew up alongside his brother, the late Joel Feinstein, and sister Sandra Gamm.

In 1963, the late philanthropist tied the knot with a Thai child psychiatrist Pratarnporn Cheimwichit Feinstein (M.D.), or Pat, and moved to Cranston, Rhode Island. The couple shared three children—Leila Feinstein, the late Ari Feinstein, and the late Richard Feinstein.

Alan Shawn Feinstein also had many grandkids, including Louis and Arielle Feinstein, along with Chaya, Sakai, and Desmond Forman. Multiple nieces, nephews, and other relatives also survive him.

The philanthropist named his daughter Leila Feinstein, a news anchor at KTLA, the next in line to head his foundations.

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Exploring the career of Alan Shawn Feinstein

Alan Shawn Feinstein was an alumnus of Boston Teachers’ College and Boston University. He began his career as an educationist, teaching at schools in Mansfield and Newton, Massachusetts, and Bristol in Rhode Island. In 1980, when the world was suffering from a hunger crisis, Alan joined Brown University’s World Hunger Program as he believed “no one should ever go hungry.”

At that time, he retired from teaching and became a full-time philanthropist. In 1991, Alan founded the Feinstein Foundation—a non-profit aimed at community building alongside helping underprivileged students at schools and colleges.

Alan Shawn Feinstein encouraged the young generation to “do good deeds and help those in need,” and document their work in a Feinstein-branded journal. His organization’s leadership program has to date helped over 600,000 children who are called Feinstein Jr. Scholars.

The Rhode Island resident told The Providence Journal during a 2021 interview,

"There’s no yacht in the world that can match 250,000 children pledging to make the world a better place one good deed at a time."

The late humanitarian and founder of the Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation was presented with multiple honorary doctorates from institutions such as Providence College, Salve Regina University, Johnson and Wales University, Roger Williams University, Rhode Island College, University of Rhode Island, and New England Institute of Technology.

Known for wearing his signature golden jacket, Mr. Feinstein also earned many prestigious awards for his contribution to the field of philanthropy, including from The American History Society, The American Red Cross, The Rhode Island Hall of Fame, Brown University, and Rhode Island College. He was also recognized as Rhode Island Citizen of the Year by the March of Dimes.

Besides, Alan Shawn also made his fortune by promoting mail-order internet solicitations and selling philatelic collectibles such as Mars-themed stamps from Sierra Leone, antique coins, presidential autographs, and more, early in his life. He also published newsletters such as International Insider's Report and The Wealth Maker.

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