Sigrid Christa Binder, 80, passed peacefully on November 3, 2019. She was born in Hamburg, Germany on June 20, 1939, and moved to the United States in 1967 after marrying her first husband Stuart Gorin in 1966. She is survived by her husband Richard Weisel and dogs Rusty and Chanelle; daughter Vivian Hood, her husband Darl, grandson Jonathan and granddaughter Jenna; and son Scott Gorin, his wife Melissa and granddaughters Caitlin and Sydney. Her family near and far was always her priority, and she loved them all with great pride, and with arms wide open, ready for a big hug and a kiss.
Sigrid will be long remembered for her fashion and style, her presence in any room, her strength, sophistication, vivaciousness, generosity, determination, and her whistle! She always loved an adventure, being spontaneous and most important, having fun!
Sigrid loved life, be it cooking fantastic meals – especially Peking duck, tomato soup with homegrown tomatoes, chicken fricassee, or another favorite, the G.D. salad!; entertaining and having a party; meeting with her friends at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club; dancing the night away; driving in her convertible with the top down, and donning one of her stylish hats; wearing lots of pearls; taking photos with her many cameras; drinking good wine; eating delicious foods; going to the beach; and traveling the world. Some of her favorite places were Cancun, Paris, Hong Kong, Budapest, and Sweden to visit her half-brother Fredrik Wrangel (wife Christine), whom she first met 20 years ago.
After moving to the U.S., Sigrid had a green card and no immediate plans to apply for U.S. citizenship. But after a few years, with Stuart working for the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, DC – located at the time two blocks from the White House at 1776 Pennsylvania Avenue – and wanting an overseas assignment, the government rule was that a dependent spouse had to be a U.S. citizen. So she studied U.S. history and government in order to pass the citizenship requirement. The day came for her test and Stuart waited in the lobby while she met with an inspector – and the time seemed extraordinarily long. Finally, she came out with the inspector and both had smiles on their faces. She passed, but the inspector said he really had to grill her on U.S. history, because he asked her the simple question: “What is the significance of 1776?” and she answered: “Oh, that’s the building where my husband works.”
She became very interested in and knowledgeable about U.S. government and politics, not just its history but also current events. Sigrid retired after working nearly 15 years at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where she persuasively discussed with business owners the impact of the nation’s most pressing federal government issues during the 1980s and 1990s.
Sigrid made life-long friends wherever she lived, which ranged across the world from Hamburg, to Maryland in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., to Islamabad, Pakistan, and for the past 22 years, in Jacksonville where she moved with her now-deceased husband Robert Binder.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts are encouraged to be sent to Foster Closet (fostercloset.org) to support local foster children, or Wine To Water (winetowater.org) to provide clean water to those in need.
We will share fond memories of Sigrid/Mom/Mimi during a Celebration of Life service on Nov. 22, 2019, at 3 pm, at Beaches Chapel by Hardage-Giddens, 1701 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach.
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