Shepherd Siegel Obituary
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 moved to California in 1962 and he spent the rest of his life on the west coast – in Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Seattle. After completing degrees in music and education, he worked in San Francisco and Seattle, creating and directing programs that supported marginalized youth through vocational training and on into the workforce.
Many would say that Shep embodied the trickster archetype and, after retiring, he turned his energies towards writing books on the global cultural icon of the Trickster and its relationship to disruptive play in the service of political and cultural change.
As a devoted musician and music enthusiast, he played bass in both rock and jazz bands and shared his love of music and community by hosting regular listening sessions in his home.
He will be missed by many. Donations to the ALS Association may be made in his memory.
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...
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