In recognition of his contributions to the United States, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1998. He received honorary doctorates of law from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and also Hofstra University Law School, where he endowed the Siggi B. Wilzig School of Banking Law. He retired as president and chief executive in 2002. Prior to his death in 2003 from multiple myeloma, he gave testimony for the Steven Spielberg Shoah Foundation. Running more than ten hours, it is the longest survivor testimony in the Foundation’s collection. In 2003, the Trust Company of New Jersey, “The Bank With Heart,” was sold to North Fork Bank for $726 million. He is survived by his three children and four grandchildren. Siggi’s achievements enabled him to support a number of charities. He endowed the Wilzig Hospital, a state-of-the-art medical facility and part of the Jersey City Medical Center; the Daughters of Miriam Home for the Aged; and the Jewish Home and Rehabilitation Center.
