Obituary of Esther T. Hirshfield
Esther T. Hirshfield passed away on Saturday, January 29, 2022, surrounded by her children at her home in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Born in Brooklyn, New York to Clara and Louis Thorner on October 17, 1924, she grew up in Chatham Township, New Jersey.
She married Paul in December 1949 and moved to Berkeley Heights in 1954 where they raised their family, and Esther lived out the rest of her life. In addition to raising four children, she worked full time and went to college at night until she earned her Bachelor’s degree in education and home economics from Rutgers University in 1971. She worked as a food service director for school lunch programs for several years and eventually partnered with her eldest daughter to purchase and run the Pickwick Deli in Plainfield, New Jersey in the mid-1980s.
In her senior years, she focused on her artistic and sewing skills to design and make quilts for family, friends, hospitals, and organizations. She loved to play the piano, attend local theater productions and museums. She had a great sense of humor and spirit that shined even in the last few days of her life.
She will be missed and will continue to live on in the hearts of friends and family members: Lee Pinkstaff, Avy Claire, Lori Hirshfield, son-in-law Kris Garnjost, Bruce Hirshfield, daughter-in-law Tammy Nelson and grandchildren Rachael, Jacob, Lauren, Nicole, Tyler, and Emma.
A graveside service will be held on January 31, 2022, at 1:00 PM, at Beth Israel Cemetery, 1098 Woodbridge Center Drive, Woodbridge, NJ 07095, with Rabbi Joel Abraham officiating.
Shivah service will be held at 7 p.m. on both Tuesday, February 1, 2022, and Sunday, February 6, 2022, via this zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89793397907.
The family would like to thank Atlantic Visiting Nurses Hospice for the loving care provided to Esther in the last month of her life. Those wishing to make donations in Esther’s memory, please send to Atlantic Visiting Nurses and Hospice, 465 South Street, Suite 100, Morristown, NJ 07960, Atlantichealth.org.
