Robert A. Hirschfeld

Robert A. Hirschfeld (Bob), 86, Alpharetta, Georgia, passed away on December 25th, 2021. Bob was born on May 17th, 1935 to Joseph Hirschfeld and Frieda Gersner Hirschfeld in Brooklyn, New York. After high school, he entered the U.S. Army, and upon his Honorable Discharge, he attended and graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, NY with a degree in Apparel Production Management. On September 26th, 1959 he married his long time sweetheart, Gail Stansbury Hirschfeld. The two moved from NJ to Pulaski, VA where Bob worked as a Manager at Sweet Orr Manufacturing. Their first child, David S. Hirschfeld (Georgia) was born in Radford, VA in July of 1960. In October of 1960, they moved to Florence, Alabama where Bob went to work as a Manager at Clifton Manufacturing. Their 3 other children, Douglas M. Hirschfeld (Mexico), Lyn H. Ross (Georgia), and Leslie H. Ambrogio (Georgia) were born between 1961-1968 in Florence, AL. In 1975, Bob opened Central Heights Apparel, a full-service apparel contractor, where he employed over 200 employees for over 20 years. Bob was known as being a fair and equal opportunity employer and treated his employees to yearly holiday parties, trips to Opryland, and summer picnics and other appreciation activities. During his career, he also had sewing factories in Hamilton, Alabama and the Dominican Republic where both of his sons and his nephew were employed. He was a true innovator in the industry, and left a lasting impression among his customers, employees, and the community.

While living in Florence, the Hirschfeld’s were active members of Temple B’nai Israel where both sons celebrated their Bar Mitzvah. While in Florence, Bob took up tennis and became a regular on the tennis circuit. He was a competitive player and enjoyed the sport and his tennis friends immensely. He passed his love of tennis on to his children and loved to watch his daughters play on their ALTA and USTA teams in Georgia, where he was a frequent sideline staple. Bob also loved the game of golf and enjoyed playing at different courses with his friends and family. One of his other passions was watching Alabama football, especially when he got to cheer on the Tide with his family. As an avid reader, Bob loved to go to the library to peruse all genres of books. He was always on top of the latest trends in the stock market, was a regular with Gail at the movies, and had a passion for travel. He also loved to design and build houses and was fortunate to be able to build several homes in the Creek Wood community in Alabama as well as in New Jersey.

In 1987, Bob and Gail moved to Georgia where they have continued to split their time between Georgia and Lavallette, NJ, until his passing. Bob was a force of nature, determined to provide for his family and give them the life he felt they deserved. His family meant more to him than anything else in the world, something he often mentioned. His wife was the true love of his life. He commented every time she walked into a room how beautiful she looked and was. He also was blessed to have 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren that he loved to spend time with and always attended their sporting events, high school and college graduations, and was the best book reader to his great grandchildren! He always made time available to talk to and give amazing advice to each of his grandchildren and made sure that they all knew how valued they were. He supported his family in their endeavors and taught them the true meaning of life, sacrifice, and hard work. Bob never met a stranger and made sure that he acknowledged those that he encountered by genuinely asking how they were doing, providing an ear to listen, and offering sincere support and advice.

Bob was predeceased by his parents Joseph and Frieda, sister, Adele, and his brother, Danny. He is survived by his wife, Gail, children David, Douglas, Lyn, and Leslie. His grandchildren, Matthew, Taylor, Alexandre, Madison, Nicole, Nicholas, Maxwell, and Avery, and his great grandchildren, Bryn and Brooks Hirschfeld. We wish to convey our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our family and friends, especially to our Uncle Emil and Aunt Joann Rishavy and to Bob’s brother George and Vita Kolber for their love and support during this sudden and difficult time. In lieu of flowers we would appreciate your kind donation to the charity of your choice in Robert A. Hirschfeld’s name. He touched so many lives during his 86 years that we pray that his name and legacy continue to shine through his wife and family.