Name: Nancy Noble Gardner
E-mail address: nancy [at] floppypoppy [dot] com
Location: Slingerlands, NY

Comment (Mon May 28, 2007):
I was very sad to learn of Ollie's passing from our mutual elementary school friend, Cynthia
Carpenter. We had very recently discussed looking Ollie up in NY City, and I'm sorry we never
had the chance to share our journeys.
I feel great admiration for all Ollie accomplished, and I applaud his anti- war work. I'm glad
to learn that his intelligence, creativity and resourcefulness went so far in this world. He was
always his own person. My condolences to his family.

Nancy Gardner

Name: Purelight Allah
E-mail address: pallah [at] topdop [dot] com
Location: Far Rockaway

Comment (Tue Mar 20, 2007):
I'll never forget the first time I met you and I said to myself Jenn's dad is Eric Clapton
lol and Jenn said no Pure this is my dad Mr. Hirsch and I said hi Mr. Hirsch and you let me know
quickly lol that is was Oliver lol I can say with much pride and respect that with your coolness
real coolness that we talked about life in a way that I never thought possible and I thank you
Oliver for that gift that you gave to me without ever asking from me anything except for the time
and truth that we share. In my culture death is change not the end and I am blessed and proud to
share change with you to see you when the sunrises and when the full moon shines and to know that we
both see the stars in the same place and in the same time

with much love your friend

purelight

Name: David Wachtel
E-mail address: dawachtel [at] jtsa [dot] edu
Location: Bayside

Comment (Sun Mar 11, 2007):
I have started to write this so many times and each time I have erased what I have written since I
felt that my facile words did not do justice to the emotions that I really wanted to convey. Today,
in an hour or so I will attend Oliver's memorial service and see many of you, some whom I know
and many whom I have never met but all of whom will already know the truth about the loss that we
share. Our friend, our colleague, Oliver will be bringing us all together and the saddest thing
will be that while he will certainly be with us in spirit, he will be physically absent. We will
miss him today. But we will certainly miss him at other times as well. When we see a design element
that we first learned about from Oliver; when we remember with a smile a deadline we were rushing to
make; when we see people who stand up for principles that they believe in; when we need to ask the
kind of question we know he would have had the answer to. At all these times and many others we
will certainly miss him. But in missing him, I for one will remember his impish smile, beatific
even in his illness; I will remember his sparkling and kind eyes; I will remember his humorous and
matter-of fact advice on matters personal as well as professional. Today I will be sad that I have
lost a friend. I will be sad that I did not know him better. But I will be happy that I knew him at
all. For Oliver Hirsch was and still is among those people that helped transform the lives of those
who knew him and those who remember him. He was a good person and made us all better for having
known him. Personally, on behalf of myself and my family and professionally, on behalf of all of us
who worked with Oliver at JTS and Emanu-El, we pray that the memory of Oliver will serve as a
blessing for all of his friends and family.

Name: Mauricio Gomide
E-mail address: mgomide [at] rogers [dot] com
Location: Toronto, Canada

Comment (Sat Mar 10, 2007):
Long before I met Oliver in person I met him through my sister's eyes and heart and that was
the best introduction I could have had of the man who would later become my brother-in-law.
It's funny how life can bring together individuals that had been walking such different paths
and living such different moments in their lives - or not? The truth is Marcia and Oliver met each
other and they lived their love until that stupid disease separated them from their dreams. Oliver
has touched so many people's lives and mine as well. When I saw Oliver in his last moments
laying on that cold hospital bed, kept alive by technology, I could not do anything else but cry. I
felt sorry for all of us but specially for my sister.
For more than one year she stood besides him and helped him through his ordeal and I wonder how many
times she hoped that moment would never come. I wonder how much was taken from her when
Oliver's body decided it was time to go. Oliver was kind enough to live us with his soul but
for many of us like Marcia, his beloved daughters and grandchildren, that's probably not
enough.
Well, I guess we will have to live with it. Oliver is not here anymore and has left each one of us
orfans in different ways.
I really hope most of us could reach his age having achieved so much in life and having touched so
many people's lives.
I am very proud that I am part of his family and I am sorry I will never had a chance to get to know
him the way I should have had.

Name: Syvia Lady Dhenin, Sir Geoffrey & Beth Herzfeld
E-mail address: lady_dee [at] talktalk [dot] net
Location: London, England

Comment (Sat Mar 10, 2007):
Oliver was an impossible person not to love. He had a seductiive character able to convince anyone
to go along with his ideas & enthusiasms. Each time I saw him I was only sad I'd not seen
more of him. To dine or walk with Oliver was an education and an experience in JOY. His delights and
concerns were infectious. I am so glad that he got to meet Geoffrey and Beth.There are a few things
in the house here which he did or fixed. I think of him each day when I see them.He left his mark
and is much missed.Syvia