In Loving Memory of
Benjamin Alan Siegan
September 6, 1982 – March 12, 2020
Celebration of Life to be held on September 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM PDT
Benjamin Alan Siegan, age 37, originally of Terra Linda California, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Lompoc California on the morning of March 12, 2020. In the fall of 2016, without any explanation, Ben began having grand mal seizures. The last time he had an episode, he went into cardiac arrest. We take comfort in knowing he was at home, where he was surrounded by our beloved pets and where his heart rests.
Ben was born on September 6th, 1982 in Greenbrae California. His parents are San Francisco natives, Martin and Joyce (Otter) Siegan. He is also survived by his life partner Antonia Gurule and their two children, Kaleb Ryder Siegan, age 12 and Kaia Rae Siegan, age 6. Other family Members include his aunt Eva (Otter) Deininger; his first cousins Serena (Deininger) Barth; Robert and Shelley Siegan, their sons, Scott, Marc and Jay Siegan. Ben was also an uncle and role model to Alisia Campos, Cynthia Campos, Alina Garcia and Junior Garcia, the children of Antonia’s sister, Lina (Gurule) Garcia.
Ben Siegan earned an Associates degree in Marine Diving Technology at Santa Barbara City College, which comes to no surprise, considering his life long love of the ocean and nature. Although he decided to pursue a career in carpentry, which he was also very passionate about, his love for the ocean, would always be a contributing factor and major influence in his lifestyle.
Ben took pride in his natural athleticism, strength and technical skills but nothing could compare to the pride he took into caring for his pets, his garden and especially his children. A strong man and seemingly gruff, Ben had a natural likeability and gentleness that put animals, children and all people at ease in his presence. This natural ability was innate and one of his most memorable qualities. We will miss you dearly Ben.
And here are the lyrics to one of our favorite songs.
This day is getting older,
In fading light it’s beautiful.
This wind is blowing colder,
And too soon I’ll feel it’s pull.
Still, I took all my chances,
Earned myself an even score.
Try to learn my lessons well.
And I don’t have the answers,
For those questions anymore.
Only love can beat both heaven and hell.
So sturdy up, sturdy up your heart,
For the road is long ahead.
I’ll be with you even though we’re apart,
But your road is yours to tread.
And so it goes, and so it goes,
And so it goes, slows your mind, mind, mind,
So it goes… and so it goes, and so it goes, slows your mind, mind, mind.
I’ve grown old on this ocean,
Gave her all, my stronger years.
Gave my wife my devotion,
When she died, the ocean my tears.
I’ve tried to teach you well son,
All of everything I knew.
Of how to live this life be true.
Don’t bow your head to no one,
And no matter what you do,
If you start then see it through.
So sturdy up, sturdy up your heart,
For the road is long ahead.
I’ll be with you even though we’re apart,
But your road is yours to tread.
And so it goes, and so it goes,
And so it goes, slows your mind, mind, mind,
So it goes… and so it goes, and so it goes, slows your mind, mind, mind.
~Mat McHugh, The Beautiful Girls
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RIP, Ben, we’ll miss you!!!!????????????????????????????????
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Me and Ben were 14 years old when he took me surfing for the first time…I’m 38 now and I still surf. He was like a brother i never had. Hilarious, kind, generous… we used to jam together in his room ..him on the drums and me on the guitar making a bunch of aweful noise:) His parents were kind to me..I came from a broken home and the sleep overs at his house were healing for me. I moved far away abruptly and lost contact with him and would always think I was gonna see him out in the water surfing one day..tried to look him up to thank him and him fam as I got older but to no avail..until now. Ben you made a great impact and you will be missed.
Joseph "Joey" Hatami
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I remember the first time I met you in second grade, we went to the beach, and at the end of the day when we were walking home, Cynthia who was only 4yrs old at the time was tired, and so you put her on the seat of your bike, and walked the bike home with her on it so she didn’t have to walk anymore, it was then that I thought you were the nicest adult I had ever met. For the next 20 years, you were our cool, kind, nature loving surfer uncle. You were such a big part of my and my siblings’ lives. I will always be grateful for all the memories, I only wish you got the chance to meet my daughter. I will be sure to share stories of you to her. You will be deeply missed by our family.
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I’ve only had the pleasure to meet Ben once, but from what I can tell he was a nice cool chill guy. He was definitely a cool surfer type, one with nature. And I can see he had a kind soft heart and was a good father to his kids. I wanna say I wish I had more time to get to know him but from my first impression of him that was all I needed to know how good of a person he was. Rest easy.
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Dear Ben,
The love of nature and the spirit of playfulness was the best way I would describe you.
I remembered our trip to Tahoe blasting Sublime and kicking it at your house munching on the chicken nuggets!!!
You always have a way to relate to people along with the numerous stories you told….some a little more exacerbated than others….all very unique experience that you would share with us. You would convince me or anyone to do anything sometimes, even though that would get me in trouble.
I was glad to know both, you and Toni from the beginning and to see a beautiful family both of you created later on in the years.
I’ll miss you My friend.
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Ben,
The memories are coming flooding back to me, sessions at the pier, an impromptu rode trip to LA county to surf, hanging out on your balcony after surfing when I was supposed to be heading back to work. So epic! Your pure genuine energy was always so refreshing and infectious. I’m lucky to have known you and I’ll see you on the other side.
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We will miss Ben and wish there could be just one more visit with the family. Love you forever.
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Toni, I met you under terrible circumstances when Ben was in the ICU but was impressed by your strength and determination in holding your family together. You are an amazing woman who has had to deal with so much with the massive seizures, a job, two children and life. It is evident that you loved Ben so much!!!!
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To my dearest nephew, you will be very missed. <3
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I remember the first day i met Ben. It was at summer solstice sometime in the early 2000’s. I was giving Mike Redmond a hard time and Ben jumped in ready to knock me out, and after that we became friends. I appreciated his loyalty to his friends and family, and was always stoked to see him in the water. He was a good man, a good father, and a good friend. He will be missed.
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To the best cousin I could have asked for…. It hurts to say goodbye so soon. Though our adult lives were lived further apart, I will always remember how awesome you were to everyone. Thank you for letting me (badly) play your drums as a kid, and epically fail on your surfboard as an adult. I don’t think I’ll ever play in the waves without thinking of you, knowing how much you loved the ocean. You were the best partner, the best father, the best son, the best friend… This world has a huge Ben-shaped hole in it now. We love you so much. Rest easy, we’ll see you again someday. ❤️
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Dan and I met Ben on his first day of life when Joyce delivered him at Marin General Hospital. We remember him as a little boy and also when they visited us in southern California when Ben was a teenager. We took the ferry to Catalina and spent a couple of days on the island with Marty and Joyce and Ben and our daughter Tiffany. May he rest in God’s peace and always be remembered by his children with much love.
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My Dearest Friend Ben,
Last I spoke to you was early this year, we were passing through Santa Barbara and you said you wanted to meet up. I said next time for sure! (boy do I regret that) And you said you’d love to show us (my boyfriend Phillip and I) around and catch a couple waves. Now everytime I’m in the ocean I always catch a couple more just for you! I miss those days of hanging out everyday after school with you and Brian and laughing so hard it hurt! My thoughts and prayers are always with your family now… Stay wild and free my friend.
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Ben was a family man who took great pride in his garden, all the animals they had and of course in his two children Kaleb & Kaia. He loved surfing in the ocean and would instruct all the kids who wanted to learn. I will miss him greatly and it’s a shame that we will have only our memories to look back on.
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Ben was a huge part of my life when i lived in the US, and more or less took me under his wing when i first moved to Santa Barbara, where we lived and worked and partied together like there was no tomorrow. thankfully there was and Ben and Toni were able to start a family. those are some of my fondest memories to look back on from the other side of the planet.