Obituary of Donald Peter Hirshorn

Donald Peter Hirshorn, 81, of Schenectady, NY died in his home on March 23, 2016. He is survived by his devoted wife of 54 years, Shirley Dawn (Hershkowitz) Hirshorn, two loving sons, William Hirshorn of West Harrison, NY and James Hirshorn of Chicago, IL, along with nine beautiful grandchildren, two siblings Stephen and Seth Hirshorn of Tampa, Florida and Ann Arbor, Michigan and their wives Shelly and Laura, respectively and many loving nieces, nephews, friends, and colleagues. Born in New York City on February 16, 1935, to William and Ruth (Rosoff Levy) Hirschhorn, Donald Peter Hirshorn was raised in Brooklyn and moved to Upstate NY in his senior year, graduating from Scotia High School in 1952. He went on to graduate from Union College in 1956 with an A.B. in Economics and a minor in history and was an active member of Kappa Nu fraternity. He continued on to Albany Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1960. He passed the New York State bar exam and became a partner in the law firm of Levy and Hirshorn (1961-1970) with his step-father, Richard levy, and joined the Schenectady Bar Association. In this period, he also started to offer pro bono services well before they became popular as a form of giving back to the community. Afterwards he joined the New York Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General from 1970-1990. As an AAG, he served as Head of the Legislative Bureau, Head of Claims and Litigation, and was promoted to Assistant First Attorney General, where he was instrumental in helping to draft and pass numerous laws that benefitted the citizens of New York State. To his credit he served at a senior level under both Republican and Democratic Attorney Generals. After retiring from the state, he resumed private practice from 1990-2013, and ultimately after a period of volunteering, became Counsel and Lobbyist for the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA) of New York during the years 1991-2007. During his time with the RPEA, he helped shape a number of key successful bills, including the COLA bill. Don also supported the Niskayuna Zoning Board as Of Counsel and later as Chairman of the Board. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Hirshorn served our country for thirty-one years in the New York Army National Guard, including many years as a JAG senior officer, retiring as a Colonel. Mr. Hirshorn’s many volunteer and service activities included serving as Commander of the Jewish War Veterans, a founding board member of NCAP (Niskayuna Community Action Program), a founding board member of the Niskayuna Foundation, a member of the Social Action Committee of Congregation Gates of Heaven (including serving as a member of a tri-city sub-committee that focused on universal healthcare as a priority) a member of the Board of State Military Museum Foundation, a board member for the Schenectady Jewish Community Center, a board member for the Schenectady Public Library during the time when the new library was constructed which stands today, and a volunteer at Pleasant Valley School in Schenectady. Don was also an active leader of the 1956 class reunion planning committee at Union College. Don also served as a Committeeman and election inspector for many years in support of the Democratic Party. Additionally, Don supported many charities through contributions and pro bono work; he would stop and help anyone, anywhere any time – he was always ready to do a mitzvah. Don’s greatest joy was being a father and grandfather. He enjoyed playing with and reading to his grandchildren, swimming in the ocean, bowling, rooting for Union College, the NY Yankees and NY Giants, fishing, reading, softball, card-playing, and coaching his sons in baseball and watching his children and grandchildren play sports. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorial contributions to be made to the Union College Class of 1956 60th Reunion Gift http://uconnect.union.edu/s/1684/UConnect/index.aspx?sid=1684&gid=2&pgid=501, The Association for Frontal Temporal Degeneration (AFTD) https://www.theaftd.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/electronically (AFTD Radnor Station Building 2 Suite 320 290 King of Prussia Road Radnor, PA 19087) or the charity of your choice. Don touched many lives throughout his life and will be deeply missed. Funeral services will be held at Temple Gates of Heaven , 852 Ashmore Avenue Schenectady, NY 12309 on Friday March 25th, at 2 pm, immediately followed by internment at Temple Gates of Heaven Cemetery, 2045 Watt Street Schenectady, NY 12304. Following the service, all are welcome to come back to Kingsway Village Apartments, 5000 Queen Philomena Boulevard Schenectady, NY 12304. The family will sit Shiva at Kingsway Village Apartments, 5000 Queen Philomena Boulevard Schenectady, NY 12304 on Saturday March 26th and Sunday March 27th at 7 pm. The family would like to thank our friends and family and all of Don’s doctors, nurses and other exceptional care givers, especially his loving wife Shirley who was always by his side.