Alan Eugene Hirsch

Alan Eugene Hirsch, 69, passed away on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, leaving his loving wife Michele; daughter Rachel; mother Ruth Hirsch Berman; many cousins and friends; and dog Dude. He was a proud graduate of the University of Florida and was lucky enough to have three satisfying careers in his lifetime. His first career was in Journalism. He wrote for several newspapers in Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia. Locally, he was a sports writer/copy editor with the Daily Press for more than 17 years (1972-1990). During his time at the Daily Press, he was an award winner for his coverage of Special Olympics, college sports and amateur softball. In 1997, the Tidewater Amateur Softball Association (ASA) inducted him into its Hall of Fame for his coverage at the Daily Press. During that time, he began his second career in Education. He was a substitute school teacher in Newport News, Hampton, York County and Poquoson (1985-2004) before becoming a full-time employee of the Newport News Public Schools. He handled attendance at McIntosh Elementary and later was the registrar at Riverside Elementary (2004-2015). After retiring from the school system, he went back to substitute teaching in Newport News and Hampton. His love of teaching children was characterized by entertaining children. He believed that learning didn’t have to mean 100 percent seriousness. So, he told jokes, laughed with the children and performed sleight-of-hand tricks when they completed their work. His love of sports was also satisfied when he opened The Franchise Sports Cards and Collectibles in 1993. With this third career, Mr. Hirsch continued to serve the public in retail. Although he closed the company’s physical location in 2002, he opened it as a home business on the internet. In addition to his three careers, Mr. Hirsch fulfilled a dream he had long wanted. As a high school baseball manager, Mr. Hirsch gained great knowledge. He wanted to impart what he knew to youngsters, and he finally did this in 2018 by managing the 9- and 10-year-old Marlins in the Denbigh Youth Baseball League (DYBL). The family will receive friends Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at Peninsula Funeral Home, beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a funeral service to follow at 6:30 p.m.