Jonathan Andrew Sigler

1968 - 2025

Jonathan Andrew Sigler

August 9, 1968 - January 24, 2025

Jonathan Andrew Sigler, 56, unexpectedly passed away of natural causes at his home in Greenwood Village, Colo. on January 24, 2025. Jon was born in Lynchburg on August 9, 1968. He is survived by his parents, Janet and Julius Sigler of Lynchburg; by his brother, James of Lynchburg; by his brother and sister-in-law, Jeffrey (Veronica Brooks) Sigler of Hartford, Conn.; by niece, Julianna Erin Sigler of Richmond; by nephew, Kellen William Sigler of Hartford; by former sister-in-law, Heather Ryan Sigler of Richmond; by aunts, Nancy Sigler and Beth Sigler of Orlando, Fla.; by his aunt, Janet R. Sigler of Jensen Beach, Fla.; by cousins, Jacqueline Timmons of Sterling, Va. and Gregory Sigler of Orlando; by his dearest friend, Sandra Haggard and her daughter, Claire of Lantana, Texas; by his former wife, Courtney Thomas Sigler of Fort Worth, Texas; and by family friend, Kipp Teague of Lynchburg. He was pre-deceased by his long-time canine companion, Coco Chanel.

From a very early age, Jon was independent, always questioning how things worked and why, especially why he had to do things the way everyone else did. Long before he started school, he read everything, even the fine print on the cereal box while eating breakfast. He was reading textbooks from his dad's office before second grade. His grandfather would lecture him on politics, sports and art as if he were an adult. As he matured the lectures became discussions and even debates. His grandmother loved to hear his infectious laugh. Even late in her life, when she when she was nearly blind and suffering from memory loss, she immediately recognized his voice, even on the phone, and her face would light up.

Throughout his years in elementary and middle school, he often frustrated teachers with his unwillingness to do school work that bored him. But at Heritage High School he encountered teachers who recognized and encouraged his ability and independence of thought. He was a key member of the Heritage Academic Competiton for Excellence (ACE) team. A study abroad trip with his high school classmates to England, Scotland and Ireland cemented his life-long pride in his Scottish, Irish and English heritage. As he matured, Jon appreciated the many Lynchburg City Schools teachers who tried, with varying degrees of success, to penetrate his stubbornness, especially Denise Hunt at Brookville Elementary, Don Cole, Rachel Wilson and Ann Richards at Sandusky Middle School, Totis Pittas, Thurman Davis, Enza McCauley, Garnell Stamps and Jimmy Green at Heritage High School. He recognized that each made a difference in his life.

He attended Lynchburg College where, as in high school, those who taught him significantly influenced his adult life. He was proud of his liberal arts education at LC, and he often expressed his appreciation for his academic advisor Dr. Clifton Potter and professors Shirley Rosser, Guy and Verma Rivers, Jim Owens, Phil Stump, Dan Lang,Tom Brickhouse, Wesley Shoemaker, and Helga Leftwich.

He began graduate school in history at Texas Christian University, but. Departmental politics caused his interest to wane as he entered his second year. When a classmate's father needed help, Jon volunteered to help out in his small computer shop. While he was assembling computers, he taught himself several programming languages and became especially proficient in LINUX. That proficiency led to a job with a local internet provider in Texas. That experience allowed him to move to a position writing bank security code under contract for the Bank of America. Eventually he moved to Colorado to work with Dell Security Systems as a computer security engineer. For most of his career he was able to work from home, an arrangement that suited his sense of independence. He loved living in Colorado and often called home while walking Coco along the Front Range of the Rockies. He loved the Blue Ridge Mountains, and whenever he was at home, you could be certain that he would spend time with Kipp, that he would visit and wander around the LC campus, and he would head for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

He enjoyed the precision and logic of his work and, by all accounts, was thoroughly competent, dependable and recognized as a superior problem solver. His knowledge and interests were eclectic. He could discuss any topic, from history to politics, from quantum mechanics to auto mechanics, from baseball to Formula One racing. He loved cars. Before he started school, he could identify cars on the street by make, model and year. He enjoyed cooking, learning to cook spicy Thai curry dishes from LC classmates, and even spicier Tex-Mex dishes from friends in Texas. He was unique, in some ways larger than life. Although he lived out West for the past 35 years, his personality was always present in Lynchburg. He kept in touch with his brothers and friends through social media, and his parents were buoyed by his visits and his long phone calls. He did not always remember family special days, but he often sent surprise gifts out of the blue. These gifts were carefully chosen to the specific interests of the recipient: a copy of Malleus Maleficarum, the Lion Rampant (Royal Banner) of Scotland, a Lionel train set or a Waterford crystal bowl, to mention but a few.

Jon was not perfect; he was stubborn and highly, even frustratingly, independent. He was a free spirit who charted his own course. He loved life, his family and his friends, especially Sandra and Kipp. He was totally honest and possessed a very strong sense of justice. He was passionate about his alma mater, about music, about social justice and about the mistreatment of pets. His death leaves his family and friends with a profound sadness, but with an equally strong gratitude for his time with us. We share great memories of him, and we know that that Jon would be arguing with us to forego the sadness surrounding his death and to get on with our lives. So, to the best of our abilities, it shall be.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Burial will be private. The family is grateful for the outpouring of sustaining support from friends, neighbors, colleagues, and Jon's friends in Lynchburg, and from around the nation. Those considering gifts of remembrance are urged to consider the local Humane Society or the University of Lynchburg.