Terry Siegel of Provincetown, retired English professor, carpenter, aquarist, athlete, and editor, died at the McCarthy Care Center in East Sandwich after a protracted struggle with cancer on May 27, 2025. He was with his wife, Joan Prugh, and their Belgian Malinois, Jennie. He was 87.

Terry was born on June 22, 1937 to the late Philip and Jeanne Siegel and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. He attended Harpur College at SUNY Binghamton and did graduate work in literature at Cornell, leading to his appointment as a professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he taught for 33 years.

Terry taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which freed him up to replace storm windows and doors and do light carpentry to support his family and to pursue his other hobbies. On some days he showed up in class in his carpentry gear, dabbed with caulking and sprinkled in sawdust. “My father wore that blue-collar residue as a badge of honor, since it aligned well with his political compass,” said his son James.

Terry married his first childhood crush, educator and artist Sarah Jane Piller, in 1965. They purchased a cottage at 40 Pearl St. in Provincetown, raised the roof with help from Pratt students and professors, and vacationed there for several years.

Terry taught his children carpentry and self-reliance. In his 50s, as carpentry became more difficult for him, he opened a Häagen-Dazs franchise with a childhood friend, Alan Storace, on Kings Highway in Brooklyn. His sons and their girlfriends worked as scoopers, cake decorators, and managers. When that project ended in 1993, Terry’s latent saltwater passions took him into the world of publishing for marine hobbyists.

As an eight-year-old, he had three freshwater fish tanks; in junior high and high school, he worked at a pet store; and after college, he got his first large fish tank with iridescent discus fish. Decades later, Terry and fellow reefkeeper John Miklos started a publication called Marine Aquarist. He also published Aquarium Frontiers, which later became The Advanced Aquarist.

Terry was among the first aquarists to not only keep coral alive but have it breed in captivity. He dismantled his last fish tank, a 10-footer, last year because he knew cancer would steal his ability to maintain the health of his “critters.”

Terry was an audiophile and loved classical music. His stereo system comprised several amplifiers, acoustic control equipment, and at least half a dozen speakers. He had a passion for opera, and in his last years was enthralled with Mahler’s symphonies.

He served on the board of Peace Action Maine when he lived in Portland with his son Peter for a few years after divorcing his second wife. He was also a member of Cape Cod Peace and Justice.

Terry had lettered in several sports at James Madison High School and in college. Years after competing nationally in four-wall handball, Terry rediscovered tennis, competing locally and coaching. He enjoyed the clay courts at the Provincetown Tennis Club.

His tennis-playing days ended in the early aughts when a high fever destroyed his inner ear’s ability to keep him balanced. And so began his most recent passion — playing pool at the Beachcombers Club, where he served as treasurer.

Terry is survived by his wife of 16 years, Joan Prugh; his brother, Eddie, of New York City; his sons, Chris Sunde and wife Britta of Trescott, Maine, Peter Siegel and wife Glynis of Huntington, N.Y., and James Siegel and wife Catherine, of Portland, Maine; and his three grandchildren: Finn Sunde and Jackson and Dylan Siegel.

The family expresses gratitude to the McCarthy Center for keeping Terry comfortable during his last week of life.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Terry’s memory can be made to the Association to Preserve Cape Cod.