Joseph Seiger

Joseph R. Seiger

Beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on July 9, 2013 at his home in Los Altos Hills with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Randee, son Jonah, daughter Alicia, two granddaughters and his sister Marjorie Zapruder.

Joe was born in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 1942. He had a life-long passion for real estate sparked at the age of 10 when he received a T-square as a gift. After studying law at the University of Michigan, he and Randee moved to San Francisco in 1969. Joe joined the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, where he worked on city revitalization projects. In 1973, he co-founded Vintage Properties, which left an indelible imprint on the Bay Area. Among his projects were Golden Gateway Commons in San Francisco, Alameda Marina Village, Vintage Oaks in Menlo Park, University Circle with the Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto and the acclaimed 700-acre Vintage Club golf club community in Indian Wells, Calif.

While running Vintage, Joe also served as Chairman of the Board of Catellus Development Corporation from 1993 to 1997. At Catellus, he negotiated deals that led to the development of AT&T Park and the expansion of UCSF's Medical School at Mission Bay.

Joe was known as a man who approached work and life with intelligence, generosity, kindness, and humor that garnered him many loyal and life-long friendships in a competitive industry. He relished spending time with his family, especially at their summer home on Nantucket, Mass. He also enjoyed boating, golf and chocolate chip cookies.

Joe was an active member of The Contemporary Jewish Museum, where he was a director and the driving force behind the creation of the museum's new home in San Francisco. He also was a board member of the Children's Health Council of Palo Alto and the Peninsula Open Space Trust.

A funeral will be held at 10 am Friday July 12 at Congregation Beth Am 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills CA 94022 with a private burial to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco or to memory research at Stanford University. For Stanford gifts, please make checks payable to Stanford University designated to the "Joseph R. Seiger Memorial Fund" at Stanford Medical Center Development Office, 3172 Porter Drive, Suite 210, Palo Alto, CA 94304.