Scott Irvin Hirschler

1960 - 2023

Scott Irvin Hirschler, 62, of Madison, passed away on July 14th after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Scott was born on September 13th, 1960 to Charles and Mary Hirschler in Santa Monica, California, second of four children. After graduating from Madison West in 1978, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from UW-Eau Claire in 1984.

That same year, Scott was accepted into a program run by the Japanese Ministry of Education and was assigned to teach high school English in Kumamoto, Japan. It was there that he met and fell in love with Sanae Nagano, who had two children, Fumiko and Itaru. Scott returned to Madison in 1986, bought a house and welcomed Sanae and her children to a new life in the United States. They married in Madison in December 1986.

Scott liked houses and was good at problem-solving and working with his hands. He also liked helping people. He taught first aid for the Red Cross and regularly donated blood his entire adult life. He considered restoring houses some of his greatest achievements. Scott loved working on cars and enjoyed going to drag races. Even though he had a terrible swing, he also loved playing golf with his buddies and finding lost balls in the rough. He was also an excellent writer, authoring several articles that were published in local newspapers.

Scott is survived by his wife Sanae, daughter Fumiko, son Itaru, daughter-in-law Nancy, grandson Dimitri, brothers Robert and Mark, sister Susan, and his beloved dog, Munchkin.

On August 7th, at 5 p.m., there will be a celebration of life gathering held at Tenney Park in Madison, WI.