Edith Siegelaub's Obituary
Edith Siegelaub wore more hats in her very long and illustrious existence than Bartholomew Cubbins, the Dr. Seuss-created character who sported 500 of them. Devoted wife, venerated mother, lifelong nurse, community activist, role model, bold innovator, physical beauty, Zen being, everything attempted with seamless grace, everything undertaken with essential purpose, everything achieved with understated resolve. Edith had the capacity to exist simply, act humbly, and get things done without using the word “I”, without trumpeting her ego by turning the conversation to herself and her numerous accomplishments.
Known to all as Edie (a name composed of two letters in typically minimalist fashion), she enjoyed her earthly endeavors for 99 years and 48 weeks with all her might. When reminded that she was approaching the great round number, she shook her head and said with a bit of wonder and whimsy, “I’m an old bag.” That she never seemed to waste a single second of the three-plus trillion she was afforded was a lasting testament to her prodigious energy, productive longevity, and indestructible youthfulness.
Born in Montreal, Canada, the youngest of three children, Edie’s seminal moment came early on, at the age of 11, when her mother, Mary, died tragically of sepsis. Mary had been a human dynamo and was known throughout her parts as an extraordinarily giving woman, someone who would invite the hungry and impoverished into the family restaurant to nourish their souls and tummies. From that catastrophic event, Edie’s nurturing, generous and single-minded nature took hold and never ever let go; she seemingly patterned herself after her mother’s characteristic empathy and became Mary incarnate.
With the help and encouragement of her older sister, Ethel, Edie immigrated to the United States, entered nursing school (in another age, she would have been a doctor), and proceeded to become the first person to win the dual award of valedictorian and exceptional caretaker, as voted on by her teachers and fellow students. Thus began a distinguished career as a registered nurse that spanned 67 years and ranged from pediatric to geriatric care, from schooling teenagers on recognizing signs of testicular and breast cancers to establishing community-based programs to monitor blood pressure and issue prescription identification cards that alerted emergency personnel to vital information. For her consistent excellence as an inveterate, innovative medical practitioner, Edie was honored as a “Woman of the Year” in Lauderhill, Florida, this as a highly motivated octogenarian.
Edie always was the can-do person to be counted on and leaned on throughout her adult years. Consider that she superbly undertook the no-frills position of vice-president in the sprawling condominium where she lived. The development, comprised of three five-story buildings, filled with diverse inhabitants of varied backgrounds and needs, required a wide range of skills in financial and inter-personnel management. Edie handled her myriad responsibilities without expecting pay or fanfare. The lack of remuneration was one thing, but the fanfare could not be helped. When she walked the grounds, well into her 99th year, she was treated like a rock star by her fellow residents, which drew a shrug and thanks for the love and admiration heaped on her.
This remarkable whirling dervish never missed a beat on the home front. Edie was an adoring wife and mother of three active children. She took exceptional care of her family, always finding time to keep house and host all sorts of celebrations and assist with her husband’s demanding business matters and attend PTA meetings and piano recitals and little league baseball games and anything that involved the well-being and sundry interests of her husband and children. When we would tell her, “Mom, you are the greatest mother in the whole wide world and we’re the luckiest kids,” she would beam, express her gratitude, and beg to differ. “There are countless millions of children around this earth who feel the same way you do,” she would say. “I am in good company.”
To paraphrase an illustrious writer: “Edie was like a bee going from flower to flower, pollinating her world with her abundant gifts for caring, friendship and sweetness.” There was never a room---or a life---she entered that she left without making her mark.
Edie is survived by her loving children, Marc Siegelaub, Steven Siegelaub and his wife Deborah, and daughter Ilene Siegelaub. She was an esteemed grandmother to Nathan, Lori and her husband Adam, Pamela and her husband Ayal, and a proud great-grandmother of Hana, Dov, Shai, and Ezra, who brought her joy and pleasure.
Memorial contributions in Edith’s honor gratefully may be made to:
Long Island Cares, Inc. The Harry Chapin Food Bank https://www.licares.org/how-to-help/give/one-time-donation
A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Beth Moses Cemetery, West Babylon, New York.
Arrangements are entrusted to Alexander‑Levitt Funeral & Cremations.
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