Gladys Concors Siegel

Gladys Concors Siegel, 97, who devoted her life to her community, her synagogue and, most enthusiastically, her family, died Sunday, December 1, 2024, at the DuBose Health Center in Chapel Hill.

Mrs. Siegel was an active volunteer in numerous civic organizations in Chapel Hill and Orange County. For 40 years, until she was in her early 90s, she delivered Meals on Wheels to needy clients and was annually the leading fundraiser for the Orange County Crop Walk. For many years, she was a regular weekly volunteer at the local Interfaith Council food kitchen, preparing and serving meals to the poor and homeless. Whenever the community food program, Porch, had a pick-up scheduled in her neighborhood, she always set out a bag of groceries. She was an active volunteer with the many activities of her children, such as the PTA, Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts. 

She was the first woman president of Beth El Synagogue in Durham. Her commitment motivated her to serve a second term. During the second term, she oversaw the synagogue’s centennial. She served on numerous committees and whenever there was a need, she was the first to volunteer. She visited and made phone calls to members in ill health or suffering a loss. She was passionate about bringing a little joy to others. 

Mrs. Siegel was president of the Hadassah Durham-Chapel Hill Chapter. She was the first woman president of the Jewish Federation of Durham - Chapel Hill. She and Dr. Siegel established and funded the annual Earl and Gladys Siegel Young Leadership Award which is directed at recognizing up-and-coming young leaders in the local Jewish community.

She was a highly skilled knitter and seamstress and put this to community use as a long-time member of multiple knitting groups that provided hats and blankets to newborns at local hospitals. She started the Beth El Synagogue knitting group.

The wife of a prominent UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member, the late Earl Siegel, MD, MPH, Mrs. Siegel was active in student affairs, contributing along with her husband to the UNC School of Public Health, including hosting dinners for Dr. Siegel’s students in their home. To this day, students reflect on these special home-cooked meals. They established the Earl & Gladys Siegel Student Support Fund within the Department of Maternal and Child Health, UNC School of Public Health. They both were engaged in UNC Hillel.

She was a member of the UNC Chancellor's Club and a long-time, sustaining, patron of UNC-TV. She and Dr. Siegel worked closely with then-Gov. Jim Hunt to create North Carolina’s partnership with Israel. In 2017, the town of Chapel Hill and WCHL recognized her commitments to the poor and homeless with their honor of 'Town Hero.' In 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper recognized Gladys’s long life of commitment to the people of North Carolina by installing her as a member of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state’s highest civilian honor.

Gladys Ruth Concors was born on July 11, 1927, in Brooklyn, N.Y. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1949. She taught home economics at Irvington House, a residential school for children recovering from rheumatic fever where she met Dr. Siegel. They married on Nov. 19, 1950.

The couple settled in the San Francisco area where Dr. Siegel served at Hamilton Air Force Base and then established his pediatrics practice in Novato, CA. In 1965, Dr. Siegel was recruited to become a faculty member at UNC, and they moved to Chapel Hill. 

Mrs. Siegel is survived by her four children, Lee, David, Lucy and Keith. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, and by countless community members who will remember her as someone who was kind and generous to all, and who created joy when she walked into a room.

Gladys never looked for recognition. Her satisfaction came in knowing that something she had done brightened someone’s day - from a visit, a phone call to someone in need, to making it possible for less fortunate people to eat a good meal. “May her memory be a blessing to her family and all those who knew her." 

A funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at Beth El Synagogue, 1004 Watts Street, Durham, NC 27701. Officiating will be Rabbi Daniel Greyber. Burial will follow at Durham Hebrew Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to Meals on Wheels of Orange County, NC (www.mowocnc.org) and AuthoraCare Collective, 336-360-6569.

The Siegel family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service.