Obituary of Gary Wayne Hirsch

Gary W. Hirsch, age 66, of South Fayette peacefully entered the gates of Heaven October 8th after a 17 month journey with Glioblastoma Multiform (a rare brain cancer). He was born August 7, 1946, in Pittsburgh, PA, the youngest child of the late Harry and Wilma Hirsch. Gary proudly served his country while stationed in Tuy Hoa, Vietnam during the Tet Offensive of 1968. He received his Associate degree from Penn State and followed through after returning home from the service and received his BS in Mechanical Engineering followed by a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. While at Pitt he joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. This past year, he received a Citation for Distinguished Service because of his 40 years of dedication to the fraternity. Gary had a distinguished career of almost 25 years with Koppers Company where he began as a draftsman and finished his career with the company as Director of Operations. After receiving early retirement, he formed Ascom Consulting Partners, and for over 20 years enjoyed helping small businesses with their computer networking needs. While attending Brentwood High School, Gary began martial arts with Grandmaster Kyu Ha Kim. The discipline of Martial Arts became a very integral part of Gary"s life. He introduced his sons to the art when they were very young. Gary was a second degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Black Belt in Judo. Recently, he was awarded the Judoka Lifetime Achievement Award by Pennsylvania Judo, Inc. Gary was involved in many, many activities throughout his life. He had an avid love of skiing and scuba diving. He was a PADI Divemaster for over 30 years and was the Treasurer and part owner of Splash Water Sports, Inc. – Scuba and Snorkeling Center. He loved skiing and scuba diving with his family and traveling to many exotic locales. Gary was preceded in death by his parents along with a brother Harry Hirsch and sister Eileen Hess. Family was everything to Gary! He is survived by wife Lauren, sons Nicholas and Jason along with sister and brother-in-law, Carole & Roy Burr along with numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, of which he loved all dearly. Friends received Friday, October 12 from 2-4 & 7-9 pm, in the Warchol Funeral Home, Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017 (412-221-3333). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, October 13 at 10 am in Holy Child Parish, Bridgeville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to be made to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center for Brain Cancer Research or the Hirsch College Fund. Please make checks payable to :"College America" c/o ATI Financial Services, 1000 Brooktree Road – Suite 309, Wexford, PA 15090. To our beloved husband and father, thank you for all the support, encouragement, friendship and unconditional love. You have left us with great values, loyalty, and honor, along with beautiful and wonderful memories!