Eugen Seibold (1918-2013), who recently passed away in Freiburg, aged 95 years, was an important pioneer in marine geology, with a focus on the origin of marine sedimentary rocks and with a broad interest in Earth system science. His career includes the study of Jurassic rocks in southern Germany (he was born in Stuttgart) and investigations in the North Sea, the Baltic, the Persian Gulf, and sediments off NW Africa. In addition, he provided leadership at the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the European Science Foundation. Seibold was an outstanding teacher who cared much about his charges.