In the almost 100-year history of McKeesport Candy Co., the wholesale candy company supplying CandyFavorites.com, we have known many unique characters.
With a twinkle in his eyes and a genuine, generous smile, few have captivated our hearts as much as Murray Siegel.
His daughter Denise has worked for the company off and on for years and is now one of our oldest employees, handling accounts receivable and sales.
She is also the only employee who can't be fired under a mysterious, never-to-be-unearthed agreement between my father and her father.
The care and devotion she showed her father were truly beyond reproach and should serve as inspiration.
In later years, we were blessed to have Murray join our team, and his daily presence was a source of inspiration and joy to all. His yearly office birthday parties were always a highlight!
He was our "Master Shredder" and unofficial historian, as he was the only person remaining who knew all the principals who founded and ran the company, even before it was incorporated in 1927.
His life and true devotion to family, friends, and wife highlight a life well lived.
It was an unwritten rule that no employee ever left work without saying goodbye to him, and for only the second time in a century, we closed early so all of us could wish him farewell.
He will be missed by all of the staff of CandyFavorites.com and McKeesport Candy Co.
-Jon H.PRINCE / President
Murray Jerome Siegel
December 5, 1923 - May 11, 2026
Murray Jerome Siegel, age 102, of McKeesport, PA, died on Monday, May 11, 2026. He was born in McKeesport, PA, on December 5, 1923, and was the son of the late Adolf and Mollie Moltz Siegel.
He began his career at Tube City Novelty at age eighteen. His only absence from the business occurred when he served in the U.S. Navy for thirty-two months as a storekeeper first class aboard the USS Texas. He always said he his during gunnery practice so he wouldn't have to shoot a gun.
After his return to Tube City, Murray never left again. He boasted that he had spent 84 years at "the Store" until three weeks before his death. He began as a "shlepper," then moved to bookkeeper, office manager, and finally to his role as senior partner.
Murray loved classic American cars, and his knowledge was unsurpassed. Friends and family knew that Murray's house was the first visit after purchasing a new car. It was also known that if anyone forgot, they their car from the past, he would fill in the blanks.
He was an avid reader of obituaries, scanning them first to make sure his name was not in them.
Murray was a member of Temple B'Nai Israel until the Temple's closing in 2025. Though he never had an official title, everyone knew to ask him for any type of assistance needed.
For the past few years, Murray volunteered at McKeesport Candy Co., as the "Master Shredder." It was well documented that he burned through sixteen shredders due to his diligence.
His family life was is first and most enduring love. He was the husband of the late Florence Lebowitz Siegel for fifty-five years. She was his best friend and the love of his life. He missed her every day and wished her " Good Shabbos "every Friday.
He is survived by his children, Alan (Nadine Russ) Siegel of Buffalo, NY; daughter, Denise Siegel Lederman of Monroeville, PA; grandsons, Craig Lederman and Matthew (Emily Gnatt) Lederman; great-granddaughter, Eloise Fiona Lederman, making the fourth generation; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents and wife, Murray is preceded in death by his siblings, Jack (Lillian) Siegel, David (Bertha) Siegel, and Lilyan (Abe) Cohen.
He will be missed by many and loved by all.
Murray always said, " I've had the best ride ever. No one has had a ride like mine."
