Ron Pomerantz: Dearest Sheppie Stardust
January 14, 2025
Dearest Sheppie Stardust,
The innocent man awaiting his gentle, thoughtful, self-determined, self-induced end of his life. It’s a loving consciousness doing what must be done. Inconceivable but you made it conceivable.
Sheppie we all know you’ve lived an active, thoughtful, robust, and full life of 72 years of wonder and excitement and accomplishments and insight filled with music and intellect. You touched so many wonderful and amazing people’s lives. Your life has made a difference to many many lives through your music and being an educator. You made a marked difference in my life for which I’m eternally grateful. I was too serious and your tricksterism was an antidote. You taught me to be seriously playful. I’ve intellectually got it but still need more practice. I’ll have to struggle to work on it without you.
You are loved and respected beyond most mortals.
Finally, the love of your life Susan appeared along with ALS. Irony reared its head the day of your first date.
ALS gradually took your brain’s life support system, but nothing else. Not your humor nor playfulness, nor your strength nor courage. These attributes and all your others were amplified. Your life force shines brighter and brighter like an end-of-life star going full super nova. And about to scatter your stardust into our Universe.
We met as UCSC students. You introduced me to some remarkable folks, a few here today. We bonded with political activity together fighting against the war in Viet Nam. Many friends in common. You were always supportive and encouraging of my relationship with Jane, and you 2 bonded together, starting in your Spanish class. I was a Thin Ice groupie. We bought and shared a car together. Lived together. You were Jane and my support when we were pregnant with Luke and then Dash, our first 2 born. You put together the birth music and greeted our first 2 kids at birth with wonderful Shep music and energy. And Uncle Shep to all 4 of them. Shep you’re family forever. You’ve been a part of all our big milestones from births to Bar Mitzvahs, to birthdays, to graduations, to weddings. When I’m with my kids and we see a seagull hovering over the Monterey Bay or ocean we wave and in unison shout HELLLLOOOO SHEP. Visits to Seattle with you were always fun, rewarding, conversational, and energetic. A memorable adventure we all had to the Olympic National Park and to Orcas Island with Mike Arenson. Shep “Dogfriend,” starting with Deeb. Running with Dash on your shoulders after you CSUSF graduation. Time at Sivia and Al’s cool Palo Alto house- they were so accepting of me and Jane except for one thing… Al’s sense of humor that you inherited. Running back into the house cuz when you always seemed to forget something all the time – “doing a Shep”. The Dead concert at Levi stadium with you, Mar and Jane, stoned to perfection. And so many more fabulous stories and memories.
Your strong principles to fight for the underdog. Shep, always generous, supportive, gentle and tough, and encouraging.
I’m forever grateful and honored to have shared parts of your life’s journey. An astonishing life you’ve led from Chicago to Palo Alto to Santa Cruz to San Francisco to Seattle with many stops in between. Yours was a life force beyond compare.
Your bags are packed, but
You’re not leaving us on a jet plane.
Leaving you must, on stardust.
I only wished I bid adieu before you.
Losing you breaks my heart and soul.
You’re on the road again. A road less travelled though we all must travel.
An ethereal road that is inconceivable but becoming conceivable.
I can’t use GPS to follow or find you, but I will try to learn to use my mind’s eye.
So long it’s been good to know ya on the long and winding road of life.
It took many years for me to fully appreciate what a thoughtful, deep, and brilliant, loving, trickster, a generous and giving man with deep insight and wisdom.
You say Goodbye and I say Hello Hello Helloooo… Goodbyeeee…
Happy trail until we meet again as stardust.
I love you always.
-Ron
January 14th, 2026 Coming over Highway 17 into Los Gatos, timing the journey so we’d get a perfect spot in Winterland. Timing the trip so the acid would peak midway through the Dead’s show. The bass hits hard on the opening chords of “Sugar Magnolia” and you shouted, “Phil Lesh is a God!” You turned...
You asked me to write about what it is like having a partner with ALS. You want to know what it is like to be in my shoes. As a former Legislative Counsel, I can tell you that, legally, “a” is read as “any.” So, you have actually asked me what it is like having...
Shepherd Siegel died on January 14 after a valiant struggle with ALS, surrounded by family and friends. His partner Susan Leslie accompanied him with love and devotion throughout his illness. She survives him, along with his sisters Adena Siegel (Steve Soklin) and Gretta Siegel, and nephew Leo Stein. Born in Chicago in 1953, the family...
