Educator who loved her Maine cabin Virginia Siegel, 81

Virginia Siegel, 81, of the Bronx and Windsor, Maine, passed away after a struggle with cancer.

From her birth on a farm in Ohio in 1936 to her death on April 12, 2017, Virginia made a difference in the lives of so many around her. 

Her mother Grace and her father Willard passed away when she was very young, but she rose above her circumstances and attended Brandeis University.

She moved to New York City in 1958, graduated from Lehman College with a master’s degree, and began working at Columbia University. It was there she was introduced to the man who would become her husband, Perry, by mutual friends. 

After spending an idyllic summer at a rental cabin on Three Mile Pond in Maine, they bought the camp that would become her beloved haven and respite for the next 52 years.

They had two sons and enjoyed much happiness together there.

After Perry’s tragic death in 1966, she and her sons moved back to the Amalgamated Housing complex in the Bronx. 

She then had an illustrious 20-year career teaching hearing-impaired students in the New York City school system.

After retiring, she enjoyed spending time with her many friends and neighbors, her beloved grandchildren, and her cat Gracie. And every summer, she eagerly returned to the loons, the hummingbirds, the moss garden and the swaying pine tree of Three Mile Pond. 

She is survived by her sons Daniel (Susan) and Paul (Karin) Siegel, and her four grandchildren: Sarah, Jacob, Jessica and Peter Siegel.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Richard. 

A memorial service was held at the Shalom Jewish Funeral Home, 1528 Castle Hill Ave., last week. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Virginia Siegel’s name to Doctors Without Borders.