Richard D. Siegal

Richard D. Siegal of Atlantic Beach died Tuesday, Feb. 9, of leukemia, surrounded by his family.

Siegal built one of the most prolific oil and gas exploration companies in the United States. Along the way, his entrepreneurial aptitudes and humanitarian attitudes helped him create everything from a local restaurant (Guido’s of Cedarhurst in the 1980s) to a research lab in Israel for cures and treatment of eye disease.

Mr. Siegal and his wife of 47 years, Gail, were benefactors of the Evelyn K. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He was also an appointee to the Citizens Financial Accountability Oversight Committee of California’s new stem cell agency, served on the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and endowed numerous chairs, including the Gail S. and Richard D. Siegal University of Virginia Professorship in Ophthalmology. Other beneficiaries of his generosity and determination included the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, cardiac research at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Campaign Executive Committee of the University of Virginia, the Women’s International Zionist Organization, Hadassah, as well as countless scholarships for individuals and families.

The son of Dr. Manheim and Helen Siegal who predeceased him, Richard received both undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia after graduating from Midwood High School.

Rabbi Mark Goldman, former spiritual leader of Temple Sinai of Long Island in Lawrence, conducted his funeral service held at Boulevard Riverside Memorial Chapel in Hewlett. While family members each recounted stories that underscored the “larger than life” fortitude and moral fiber of the man, Rabbi Goodman referred to him as “a shooting star, a comet, whose indelible mark on the universe has created a new light in the sky.” His son Michael recounted how his father would travel huge distances to assemble the ingredients for the perfect sandwich, build it, then give it to someone else to eat and enjoy, saying, “That’s what Rick did. He made it and then he gave it away.”

Richard's children, grandchildren and sister who spoke at the funeral talked about how, to him, nothing was more important than his family. “They were the heart and soul of his entire existence and the standard by which intra-family relationships will be measured for years to come,” said his son-in-law, Dean Leavitt.

Richard is survived by his wife, Gail, children, Michael and Rev, Bippy and Jackie, Arlo, Jody and Dean Leavitt; grandchildren Samantha, Nicki, Gabriela, Daniela, Zackary, Ava, and Anya and sister Alice Rubenfeld.