About Shirley Siegel
A gregarious presence. A generous soul. A talented singer with a powerful voice. A person who radiated inner happiness, and saw strangers as friends waiting to happen.
This is the beautiful spirit of Shirley Posnick-Siegel, who proudly resided in the “slums of Beverly Hills” in the same apartment for four decades. Throughout her life, she brought happiness to family, friends and strangers alike.
Shirley Posnick was born on July 31, 1938, in Fort Dodge Iowa. Her parents, Louie and Annie, immigrated to the United States from Russia. She was the beloved younger sister of brothers Milton and the late Dr. Jack Posnick.
Shirley’s father Louie supported his family with the earnings he made from the junkyard he owned and operated in Fort Dodge. As a young girl in Iowa, Shirley was sheltered from much of the world: big brothers Jack and Milt were always very protective of their “baby sister,” and Shirley spent much of her time tied to her mother’s apron strings. Listening to Annie singing frequently, Shirley grew up with a love of performing and pursued her dream of being in musical theater.
Shirley moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with her family in the 1950s, where older brother Jack had relocated for medical school. There she met Marvin Siegel, and they were married in 1960. Soon after they moved together to Los Angeles where they had two children, Lesley Marlene and Lewis Nathaniel. Shirley and Marvin divorced in 1972.
As a young woman Shirley performed in many musical theater productions and with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. She went on to sing and entertain at many private functions, and eventually she formed her event planning business, “Tributes Unlimited!” Her special tributes would tell someone’s life story — set to popular music — complete with custom lyrics that she had tailored for each honoree, after which the recipient would be presented with a golden statuette. Her performances brought down the house at many a gathering.
Shirley frequently wrote letters and poems to friends and family. She loved grammar and wordplay, and could type well over 100 words per minute. She worked professionally as secretary for several offices in the Beverly Hills area, and was always there to lend a hand to anyone who needed help with a writing task. At one time she worked as the personal assistant of a billionaire, and found humor in the fact that he would ask her to steal paper towels from the restrooms in his office building.
Shirley passed away on June 19th, 2020, at age 81. She is survived by her two children, Lesley Marlene Siegel and Lewis Nathaniel Siegel and her nephews and nieces, Howie Posnick, Sherry Goodwin and Suzy Luker. Shirley, like her brothers, was always very much the life of the party, and she enjoyed the attention she received from performing, both on and off stage. She was a SHINING STAR to all who knew her.