We said goodbye to Nathan Joseph Ziegel on December 23, 2023, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Born January 14, 1960, in Portsmouth, Virginia, Nathan was a genuine free spirit, always doing his own thing and making life an adventure.

Nathan's current role was Market President at Truist Bank, following an extensive career in banking and real estate stemming from a Bachelor's degree from UMD and a Master's in Commercial Banking from the University of Oklahoma.

Family-wise, Nathan had four biological children—Meghan, Brittany, Joseph, and Kassidy—with his first wife Patricia. His second wife Debra brought a crew of nine stepkids to the family, including his two youngest daughters, Magdalene and Abigail, whom he partially raised and grew a special bond with. At the time of his passing, he had recently married his third wife Angel, who has two young boys, Prince and Asher.

A U.S. Marine with some serious wanderlust, Nathan served overseas right after high school. In addition to traveling he enjoyed anything outdoors: Hunting, fishing, coaching his kids' sports teams—you name it. More recently his favorite pastime was spoiling his grandkids—Duke, Jaylen, Pearl, and Jax. Papa knew how to show the love--from oreo cookies for breakfast to a new toy with every trip to Fleet Farm.

A charmer who liked to dress with style, Nathan's goofy sense of humor and open-mindedness allowed him to effortlessly form friendships with people from all walks of life. Everyone who knew him has at least one "Nathan" story guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

A believer in Heaven, Nathan had the comfort of looking forward to rejoining loved ones who preceded him, including his parents, Dennis and Katherine, his Uncle Glen, and many furry pals, including his beloved dog Jazz and cat Lenny. Mourning his passing along with his other friends and family are his sisters Paula and Jolene, and half-siblings Chris, Shane, and Rochelle.

Nathan's personal anthem was "Bad to the Bone" by George Thoroughgood, and to that tune he lived on the edge, always pushing his car's gas tank and his wives' tolerance for his antics to the limit. His wild hobbies included motorcycles, homebrewing wine, backyard birds (chickens, duck, geese, even peacocks!) and a deep love for John Wayne movies and 70's rock. His kids in particular loved his massive Sunday breakfasts. His love language was cooking up the tastiest foods and making sure to hit all your favorites.

Those times when he did relax, he enjoyed a good cigar and a whiskey neat. Nathan was also always down for a good debate. He was the sort of person who you could disagree with and he would listen to your side and maybe even actually change his mind. But, let's be real, he was stubborn as heck and danced to his own beat so that didn't happen too often.

Fix-it-himself extraordinaire, he started businesses left and right, even a roadside coffee shop. Boss man dreams never quite panned out, but he always found a way to bounce back and onto the next goal. After all he was never truly content in one place (or job, or relationship...) for very long. He even used to build Northwoods cabins from scratch putting in tons of hours of work, just to sell them after a hunting season or two so he could get started on a new one.

In a way, dying fast and (relatively) young probably fits him best. He never could stay put for too long, so why should moving on from this life being any different?

Nathan Joseph Ziegel, a man, a Marine, a father, and a friend, left us with a legacy of laughs, lessons, love, and a whole lot of "beating to his own drum." He will be missed.