WEEMS—Dr. John Richard “Rick” Siegel, 76, of Weems passed away October 14, 2022.
He is survived by his wife, Judy Siegel; daughter, Jenna Ries (David); son, James Siegel; three grandchildren, Jack, Joe and Axel Ries; a brother, Charles L. “Lou” Siegel (Joan); and several nieces, nephews and in-laws.
He was preceded in death by his parents, retired Col. Charles L. Siegel and Virginia R. Siegel.
Rick was raised in Virginia and graduated from Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1968 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. He continued his education at Columbia University, obtaining a Ph.D. in nuclear physics before settling in the Washington, D.C., area, where he spent most of his career.
He was a manager at the Atomic Industrial Forum in the mid-1980s before joining the Bechtel Corporation in 1987 where he would spend the next 20 years. He became vice president of marketing and strategy in Bechtel’s Global Power division and ultimately retired as a principal vice president. He and his wife Judy lived in Bethesda, Md., during this period.
A talented athlete, Rick played on several high school sports teams while growing up in Virginia and became an accomplished golfer and tennis player in his years after college. Rick’s other pursuits included sailing, once traversing the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas with his young family as his crew, and flying, having obtained his pilot’s license during his years at Columbia. Rick had a great architectural eye and several home improvement projects invariably became home expansion projects and architectural feats.
In later years, those closest to Rick saw his passion take many forms. He loved spending time with his grandkids, coaching the neighborhood soccer team, playing golf with friends, participating in a local men’s senior soccer league, finding deals at thrift shops, cooking his celebrated recipes and spending summer vacations with his extended family at Bethany Beach.
The last few years of his life, Rick and his wife of 54 years, Judy, lived full time in Weems, at Wharton’s Grove. He was always active in the life of this oasis of summer cottages; acting as community carpenter, electrician, fisherman and friend.
He is remembered for being generous to anyone that was fortunate enough to cross paths with him.
A memorial service will take place in Spring 2023.
Currie Funeral Home LLC of Kilmarnock handled the arrangements.
