Greater Patchogue coverage is funded in part by New Village at Patchogue, open-concept rental residences with sleek contemporary design. Click here for a tour.
Abie Siegel, the patriarch of Blum’s Swimwear and Intimate Apparel in downtown Patchogue, died on Tuesday, June 20. He was 93 years old.
A pillar of the Patchogue Village community for many decades, Siegel passed away peacefully at home, reads a post on Blum’s Facebook page.
A graveside service for Siegel is planned for 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 22, at the Patchogue Hebrew Cemetery, 263-299 Buckley Road in Holtsville. Blum’s, in business on Main Street since 1927, will be closed that day, between the 10 a.m.-2 p.m., out of respect to Siegel and his family.
David Kennedy, executive director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce called Siegel one of the most influential business and community leaders in the village’s history.
“Besides being the driving force that made Blum’s one of Patchogue’s oldest, most known and most loved businesses, Abie was unmatched in his advocacy for the Patchogue Business Community,” Kennedy said.
Siegel was a longtime member of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He was also a leader with the Patchogue Merchants Division during 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, during a time when Patchogue was considered Suffolk’s leading retail and shopping downtown.
Furthermore, he was one of the founding board members of the Business Improvement District in 1992 and was a regular in the audience at Village of Patchogue Board of Trustee meetings, often expressing his opinions and advocating for the downtown district.
“Through it all, he always found the time to give back and support hundreds of local charitable endeavors,” Kennedy said, “including being a longtime member and past President of the Patchogue Lions Club.
“Words can’t describe how important he has been for us all, but there is no question, he is one of the most important business leaders in Patchogue’s history; someone who laid the foundation of what Patchogue has become today,” he added.
Top photo: Abie Siegel and his wife Bernice in an undated photo (Source: Facebook).
