James Robert Hirsch, of Lunenburg

James Robert Hirsch died peacefully on March 11, 2026, at the age of 74, surrounded by his loving wife and children after a nearly 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was the strongest, hardest-working, and most loving man one could ever imagine. Jim was born on June 22, 1951 as the only child to parents Robert and Dorothy Hirsch of Lunenburg, MA. He grew up around the family business, Hirsch Lumber, helping his parents from an early age and learning to drive the tractor at the sawmill at just 10 years old. Jim graduated from Lunenburg High School in 1969, excelling academically as well as athletically. He played offense, defense, and special teams for the Blue Knights football team, and in track and field, he held a long-standing school record for shot put. After graduating from high school, Jim attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he met his future wife, Marla Ann Marant of Hamilton, NJ, during their freshman year. They knew immediately that they wanted to get married but waited until after graduation, marrying on June 23, 1973. Following their wedding in New Jersey surrounded by Marla’s large Italian family, they moved back to Lunenburg so Jim could join the family business as the third-generation owner and operator of Hirsch Lumber alongside his parents. Jim loved working with his family at the sawmill and was happiest when he was “tinkering” to improve production processes. Together with his father, he pioneered several innovations, including the vertical chipping edger. Always focused on productivity and efficiency, Jim also found joy outside of work tending a vegetable garden, caring for fruit trees, raising dairy goats, and occasionally sailing his Sunfish. Above all else, Jim’s greatest joy was his family. He was a loving husband and father and was lighthearted, devoted, and playful with his children. He was one of the founding members of the Lunenburg Youth Soccer Association and dedicated countless hours running the league, coaching, and refereeing so his children had the opportunity to play soccer locally. After his parents passed away in 2014, Jim closed the sawmill and retired in order to spend more time with his family. He is survived by his wife of nearly 53 years, Marla Marant Hirsch of Lunenburg, MA; his son, David, and daughter-in-law, Erin, and their children, Finley, Grayson, and Wyatt of Bedford, NH; his son, Michael, and daughter-in-law, Nathalie, and their children, Gabriel and Abigail of Cincinnati, OH; his son, Stephen, and son-in-law, Mike Blakie, and their daughter, Madilyn of South Glastonbury, CT; and his daughter Kristen Murphy, and son-in-law, Jim, and their son Finnegan (with a second son on the way) of Dunbarton, NH. His funeral will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 11AM in the T.J. Anderson & Son Funeral Home, 250 Main St., Townsend, followed by a burial at North Cemetery in Lunenburg. A calling hour, in the funeral home, will be held prior to the service from 10 to 11AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research: https://tribute.michaeljfox.org/tribute-page.php?id=3504

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James Robert Hirsch, of Lunenburg

June 22, 1951 - March 11, 2026