Howard Siegman

1939 - 2020

Siegman, Howard
Howie
June 21, 1939 - March 31, 2020
Accountant

HOWARD "HOWIE" SIEGMAN, 80, SUCCUMED TO A CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE IN EVERGREEN, CO ON MARCH 31, 2020, AFTER COLLAPSING DURING A WALK NEAR HIS HOME ON MARCH 29TH.
HOWIE WAS BORN ON JUNE 21, 1939, THE SECOND SON OF RUTH (GOLDZWEIG) AND AL "COONEY" SIEGMAN OF CHICAGO, IL. HE IS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY BOTH OF HIS PARENTS, AND HIS DEAR WIFE, LILO LANG SIEGMAN.
HE AND HIS SIBLINGS WERE BROUGHT UP IN THE ROGERS PARK NEIGHBORHOOD OF CHICAGO. ALL THREE CHILDREN, JOE, HOWIE AND MINDY GRADUATED FROM ROGER SULLIVAN HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE HOWIE WAS BOTH A SCHOLAR AND AN ATHLETE: A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY, AND A LETTERMAN IN BASKETBALL.
HOWIE WENT ON TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA CAMPUS, THEN KENDALL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS IN CHICAGO.
IN 1964, HOWIE WAS ACCEPTED TO THE PEACE CORPS. ALTHOUGH FLUENT IN SPANISH HE WAS ASSIGNED TO ETHIOPIA. HE DECLINED. HE CHOSE INSTEAD, A SIX-MONTH JOINT USA-ISRAEL PROGRAM. HOWIE DECIDED TO STAY ON IN ISRAEL, VISITING HIS AUNT ESTHER AND HUSBAND JOE; LIVING ON A KIBBUTZ FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS; THEN JOINING THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES. HE WAS ACCEPTED TO THE 890TH IDF PARATROOP BATTALION , COMPANY B, AND PROUDLY WORE THE COVETED RED BERET, THE HALLMARK OF A PARATROOPER.
HOWIE'S BAGS WERE PACKED AND SET BY THE DOOR, READY TO LEAVE ISRAEL AFTER YOM KIPPUR IN 1973. BUT EGYPT ATTACKED ISRAEL YOM KIPPUR MORNING, AND HIS DEPARTURE WAS DELAYED FOUR MONTHS. HIS ELITE AIRBORNE FORCE WAS IMMEDIATELY CALLED INTO EMERGENCY ACTION AND SENT TO THE SINAI TO HALT ENEMY FORCES; THEN MAINTAIN THE CEASE-FIRE. HOWIE CONSIDERED HIS SERVICE IN THE IDF: THE COMARADERIE OF THE BROTHERHOOD-IN-ARMS EXPERIENCE AND, NOTABLY, THE LOSS OF CLOSE FRIENDS IN THE FIGHTING, AS HAVING BEEN PIVOTAL IN SHAPING THE REST OF HIS LIFE. HE RETURNED TO ISRAEL IN 2019 FOR THE BATTALION'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, RE-KINDLING DEAR FRIENDSHIPS.
RETURNING TO THE U.S. IN 1974, AND THE CULTURE SHOCK OF LOS ANGELES, WHERE HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY HAD ALL RELOCATED, HOWIE OBTAINED HIS CPA CERTIFICATE. THE SUCCESS OF HIS BEVERLY HILLS BOUTIQUE ACCOUNTING PRACTICE LED HIM TO A PARTNERSHIP WITH GERBER & COMPANY, INC., LOCATED IN CENTURY CITY. HE REMAINED ACTIVE WITH THE FIRM UNTIL HIS DEATH.
SELWYN GERBER AND HOWIE'S 3-DECADE PLUS RELATIONSHIP WAS BASED ON A HANDSHAKE, WITH "NEVER A CROSS WORD BETWEEN THEM", SELWYN TOLD HOWIE'S FAMILY. HE "WAS BELOVED BY ALL WHO WORKED WITH HIM .... HIS OWN CLIENTS; AND CONSIDERED "THE CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL .... ADVOCATING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS".
HOWIE AND LILO RELOCATED TO GOLDEN, CO, IN MID-2014 TO BE NEAR THE FAMILY OF LAURA ELLIOTT (PETER), ONE OF LILO'S DAUGHTERS. THIS CAME MANY YEARS AFTER LILO HAD OPENED HOWIE'S VISTAS TO WORLD TRAVEL, BEGINNING WITH THEIR HONEYMOON IN PARIS, AND INCLUDING SOUTH AMERICA AND CHINA.
SPORTS-MINDED SINCE CHILDHOOD, HOWIE WAS BORN A FAN OF HIS HOMETOWN CHICAGO TEAMS: THE CUBS, BEARS, AND THE BULLS. IN LOS ANGELES, HE BECAME A FAN OF THE DODGERS AND LAKERS, THEN HE ADOPTED FANDOM OF COLORADO'S PROFESSIONAL TEAMS. HE PLAYED TENNIS EVERY CHANCE HE GOT WHETHER SINGLES, DOUBLES WITH LILO, A SUPERB TENNIS-PLAYER. HE CONTINUED TO PLAY TENNIS AND TO HIKE AFTER HER DEATH.
OF COURSE HE NEVER MISSED A SPORTS OR THEATER ACTIVITY IN WHICH HIS GRANDCHILDREN PARTICIPATED, WHEREVER IT WAS IN WHATEVER THE WEATHER; EVEN LIVE STREAMING GRANDSON ALEX'S COLLEGE LACROSS GAMES. HE PRIDEFULLY POSTED THOSE PHOTOS ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE AFTER EACH OCCASION.
HOWARD SIEGMAN WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE BMH-BI CONGREGATION IN DENVER; ALSO CONGREGATION BETH EVERGREEN IN EVERGREEN, CO, WHERE HE AVIDLY PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE COMMITTEES AND THE CHOIR. AS WITH HIS KARAOKE NUMBERS, HOWIE WAS KNOWN TO CREATE HIS OWN MELODIES TO WHATEVER THE SONG OR REHEARSED CHOIR PROGRAM. HIS ENTHUSIASTIC SINGING WAS KNOWN BY AND ENTERTAINED ONE AND ALL, REFLECTED IN THE MANY TRIBUTES TO HIM DURING HIS VIRTUAL SHIVA ON APRIL 5TH: 41 SIGN-UP PARTICIPANTS.
HOWIE SIEGMAN TREASURED FAMILY; THAT IS WHAT HE CARED ABOUT MOST, HOWEVER CLOSE OR DISTANT THE RELATIVE MIGHT BE. LIKE HIS FATHER, "COONEY" HOWARD SIEGMAN WAS A THOROUGHLY DECENT MAN, ALWAYS OPENING HIS HEART TO ACCEPT LOVE FROM FAMILY MEMBERS AND GENEROUS TO A FAULT. THUS, HOWIE LEAVES MANY TO MOURN HIM: HIS LOVING YOUNGER SISTER, MINDY SIEGMAN GAYNOR OF WASHINGTON, DC, THE BENEFICIARY OF HIS MARBLES, TIDDLY WINKS AND CASINO TRAINING; THEIR OLDER BROTHER JOE SIEGMAN OF LOS ANGELES AND HIS WIFE, BOBBIE; NEPHEWS AND NIECE STEVE, MIKE AND LAURIE SIEGMAN; MANY COUSINS THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND IN ISRAEL. ALSO MOURNING HIS PASSING ARE LILO'S DAUGHTERS AND SONS-IN-LAW, LISA AND ALEX TAFT AND LAURA AND PETER ELLIOTT, WHO STAYED WITH HOWIE IN THE E.R. AND WAS AT HIS BEDSIDE WHEN HE DIED; BUT ESPECIALLY HIS BELOVED GRANDCHILDREN, LILY & ALEX TAFT AND DANICA BEERY; AND MELISSA AND MATT ELLIOTT. MOURNING HIM AS WELL, IS HIS DEAR FRIEND LAUREL ALWEIL OF BRENTWOOD, CA.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE INVITED TO SHARE THEIR MEMORIES ON HOWIE'S FACEBOOK PAGE.