Obituary of Henry Siegel

Henry Siegel passed away peacefully at his home in Edgewater New Jersey on Saturday Sept. 18th with people who loved him close by.

Henry was born in the Borough of the Bronx in New York City to Rose and Samuel Siegel.  As a young man he worked in his father’s shop in the garment industry. He learned to sew and to fix the various types of sewing machines in the shop.  After attending DeWitt Clinton High School, he attended City College of New York where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a licensed Professional Engineer. 

 As a young engineer Henry worked for the National Aviation Administration  testing various types of aircraft in wind tunnels.  During WWII he worked for Reeves Aircraft and worked on ship repairs in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  During this time, he met his beloved wife, Ruth. They were married for almost 72 years when Ruth passed away in 2017.  In 1954, Henry and his partner, Herb Adise, founded Computer Instruments Corporation. Henry and his partner are credited with the first carbon film potentiometer and were granted multiple patents.  The company later expanded into air data computers, medical equipment and hybrid integrated circuits.  

Henry and Ruth lived most of their life in the Village of Lake Success in Great Neck, NY.  He loved to play golf, listen to classical music and play bridge.  He learned to ski at the age of 40 and enjoyed many trips to Vermont.  Following his retirement in 1987, Henry and Ruth made frequent trips to St. Maarten where they enjoyed the ocean and the island’s culture and cuisine.  In 1999 they moved to Edgewater New Jersey.

Henry was a remarkable person who could build anything.  Henry and Ruth designed and built their dream house on Lake Success. He built a banjo with his son Joey and never stopped inventing things.  His workbench in the garage was always filled with ideas.  Everyone who knew Henry said “he can fix anything”.

Henry was a strong believer in social justice and always had nice words for everyone he met.  He loved to joke around, his demeanor was always calm and no matter what the situation he just “rolled with the punches”.  To his children he was the greatest Dad in the world and will be missed by all who knew him.

Henry is survived by his children David Siegel, Judith Siegel Flatt and Joseph Siegel, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.