In the early evening of Thursday, August 4th, 2022, Jack Donald Siebert succumbed to a heart attack and left this earth way too soon. Jack was doing what he genuinely loved to do: supporting a family member's band at an outdoor jazz concert, while making friends with complete strangers. Jack was surrounded by good samaritan bystanders with medical and emergency training, but they were unable to resuscitate him. In his final moments there were people caring for him in the exact manner as he would've done for anyone else.

Born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his three brothers Charles, Leonard, and Ronald, by their doting mother Hannah, he was eternally proud of his hometown. Every trip back to the midwest always included a visit to Kenosha and some of his favorite memories from his boyhood schools to his favorite burger place, The Spot, to visiting old friends from school/childhood. Even though he had been in California the last 24+ years of his life, he was a Cheesehead until the end.

Jack was the epitome of what we all want in a spouse, father, grandfather, son, friend, or teacher. He was kind, caring, empathetic, sincere, genuine, honest, loving, and above all else, one of a kind. When he met someone he took the time to learn everything about them and it may have seemed like an interrogation, when in reality, it was just Jack being Jack. Very often, these strangers became friends. He wanted to know all about someone and relate to them however possible. To Jack, friends were meant to be lifelong and he always made every effort to see them wherever he traveled. He was the person who always remembered a birthday, wedding, graduation, and so many other important events. He didn’t just remember them, he sent heartfelt cards that people never wanted to recycle. In fact, I bet many of his family and friends have stacks of cards from over the years that they have wanted to hang onto as mementos, especially now.

A book would need to be written about Jack’s interests to do them justice, but in short he loved the cinema, attending at least once a week. From dramas to foreign cinema to the best toe tapping musicals, he took so much joy from his escape into film. Of course, he hosted Oscar dinners for years and loved to challenge others in a trivia contest, especially Jeopardy almost every day of the week and Trivial Pursuit with his kids almost every week of their childhoods. Beyond the cinema he was a student of the world and loved learning about history, culture, languages (always one to throw in whatever phrases he knew in another language when encountering someone from a different culture in order to make them feel at ease), and geography. The theater and opera were common sources of enjoyment for Jack and he loved to tell the story about how he saw Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan flying over his head on Broadway. Jack loved to travel, and he loved people. His travels took him to over 40 countries and he raised his kids by stressing the importance of learning about others by truly getting to know them, so travel was integral to their upbringing. Jack loved to enjoy life and it was something he was an expert at.

A lifelong English as a Second Language teacher, Jack taught in the Madison, Wisconsin public schools for over 25 years, a few years post retirement at Canada College in Redwood City, California, and countless years spent teaching family and friends English. Retirement from teaching didn’t mean that Jack took time off from still helping people. He spent countless hours volunteering at - San Francisco International Airport at the Information Desk helping answer numerous questions from lost travelers; translating for LGBTQ+ Spanish speaking clients of various non-profit legal organizations as they petitioned for asylum in this nation; providing information to visitors at the Chinese Historical Society of America; and a plethora of other valuable volunteer jobs that he took just as seriously as his teaching career.

Jack was the number one cheerleader for his family. Any phone-call or holiday letter was sure to include updates about what his children and grandchildren were up to. To some it may seem like he was boasting, but he was just so genuinely happy about what his family was doing that he had to share it with everyone he met. For Jack, family was everything, he would go to all ends of the world to make them happy and he leaves behind a legacy that will live on in all the lives he touched.

The loss of Jack to his family and friends leaves a huge void that will never be filled. Yet, the ever lasting memories that he left will help ease some of that pain.

Jack is survived by his husband, Nato Fortes, his children Andrea Siebert Morello and Aarón Siebert-Llera, his son in law Tom Morello, his daughter in law Nevien Shaabneh, his grandchildren Ibraheem Siebert and Lorenzo Morello, his step grandchildren Hatim Ali, Sabrin Ali, and Shadin Amrah, his ex-wife Aracely Llera, his brothers Ron Siebert and Len Siebert, and countless friends from around the world. Jack’s legacy lives on in his wonderful children and grandchildren, who are all following in his footsteps by trying to make the world a better place, one day at a time.

The Jack D. Siebert Memorial Future Educators Scholarship has been established to honor Jack's legacy to support future teachers from a range of backgrounds who demonstrate financial need. Priority will be given primarily, but not exclusively, to those from the LBGTQIA community and underrepresented ethnic groups. The scholarship fund will be managed by the Madison Community Foundation (MCF), please see the following link (https://www.madisongives.org/siebert) for more information and to contribute.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the above scholarship or the following non-profit organizations in Jack's name, per his request: (1) Doctors Without Borders; (2) St. Anthony Foundation - San Francisco; or (3) Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley.