Mark Hirsh

Capt. Mark Hirsh, DDS, affectionately known as “Pop,” passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones at his home in Wellesley, MA on January 26, 2026 at the age of 90. Born in 1935, Mark is remembered with love as a devout Jew, an exquisite father, and a loyal friend. Mark loved to laugh, tell a bad joke, and play a questionable round of golf. A tireless believer in tikkun olam, Mark was a committed philanthropist, doing his part to repair the world. His life was a study in intellectual curiosity, often reading two newspapers daily, and always reluctant to turn off NPR. His zest for life and perseverance provides an enduring lesson for all who knew him.

Mark was raised in South Orange, NJ, the youngest of Albert and Sarah Hirsh’s four children in a railroad apartment above his father’s kosher butcher shop. His childhood was overshadowed by World War II, the loss of Sarah’s family in Romania to the Holocaust, and rabid antisemitism. As a young man, he attended Rutgers University. In the afternoon, he drove deliveries for his father. After Rutgers, Mark attended Temple University Dental School, before enlisting in the Army from 1961-1966, and was discharged as a Captain. While parenting his three young daughters with his first wife, Mark completed his coursework for Periodontics at Tufts University School of Dentistry, practicing dentistry on the weekends to make ends meet.

Mark met Jane Iorio on a blind date and claimed it was love at first sight. He and Jane were married for fifty-two years. Theirs was a life of adventure, travelling the world with family and friends. Together, they had three children and built multiple businesses, most notably Copley Pharmaceutical and Collegium Pharmaceutical, both of which became publicly traded companies.

Mark was instrumental in the transformation and redevelopment of the Hingham Shipyards, and harnessed his love of history to produce the documentary Remembering Hingham Shipyard, which tells the story of the shipyard’s historic war effort. He contributed his time to countless Boston organizations, including the Boston Harbor Island Alliance and provided leadership and support to Tufts University for decades, serving on the board of overseers for both the Tufts Dental and Veterinary Schools. Central to his generosity is the Hirsh Health Sciences Library, the heart of Tufts' health sciences campus since 2005, which provides an environment where Tufts dental, medical, and nutrition communities come together to collaborate.

Mark is the loving father of six children: Suzanne Hirsh, Rachel Hirsh, Tobey Finkel, Nicole Vecchiotti, Mark D. Hirsh, and Jay Hirsh. He is the beloved father-in-law of Grant Finkel, Mark Vecchiotti, and Ashley Hirsh. He is Pop to nine adoring grandchildren, and devoted husband to the love of his life, Jane.

A memorial service will be held in Mark’s honor on Friday January 30, 2026 at 10 AM at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Road, Wellesley. The family will sit shiva at the Hirsh residence on Friday from 1–4 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to WBUR at https://donate.wbur.org/secure/give-honor-or-memory and/or Dr. Vik Khurana’s Parkinson's Disease Research at https://giving.brighamandwomens.org/

May his memory be a blessing.

Livestream: https://tbewellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/R7k86vnaQl6qCHs0pbdZFA