Scott D. Feighner, 73, of Holmdel, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday, August 2nd.

Scott was born in 1951 in Alma, Michigan, to Shirley and the late Robert Feighner. He was raised in East Grand Rapids alongside his four siblings. He attended East Grand Rapids High School, and went on to study at Western Michigan University, then North Carolina State University and Virginia Commonwealth University where he received his PhD in microbiology, followed by a post-doc at Michigan State University. He had a long impactful career in drug discovery at Merck.

Scott was a gentle, kind, and determined individual. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 14, he took pride in managing his disease to stay healthy. He was a Joslin Medalist, and an advocate for Type 1 diabetes charities, completing the NYC marathon multiple times to raise funds to support T1D research. He enjoyed running, bowling, bird-watching and traveling, especially to Aruba and the family cottage on Lake Michigan, and trying out buffalo wings in different places. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family, often going on family trips with them and hosting Thanksgiving for the entire family.

He is predeceased by his father Robert Feighner.

Surviving are his mother, Shirley Feighner; his wife, Amy Feighner; five children, Jeffrey and his wife Bambi Feighner of Mechanicsville, VA, Katherine and her husband Joshua Ricca of Fanwood, Christopher and his wife Colleen Feighner of Clark, Bryan Feighner of Holmdel, and Emma Feighner of Holmdel; his siblings, Mark Feighner, Cheryl Gillett, Christine Linabury, and Julie Osbourne; and eight grandchildren, Noah, Cora, Annie, Nolan, Avery, Kenna, Tyne, and Callia.

A memorial gathering will be held at Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 S Holmdel Rd., Holmdel, NJ 07733 on Thursday, August 15th from 3 – 7pm.

In lieu of traditional remembrances, Scott’s family asks with gratitude that donations in his memory be made to Breakthrough T1D (www.breakthrought1d.org) or the Joslin Diabetes Center (www.joslin.org).

For messages of condolence or to share a favorite memory of Scott, please visit his page of tribute at www.HolmdelFuneralHome.com