Allan Wirth

November 14, 1928 - December 27, 2019

In the early morning hours of December 27, 2019, Allan passed away. He was born in 1928 in Lawrence, MA to Robert C. Wirth and Frances Humphrey. Allan attended Lowell Tech and received a degree in Chemistry, specializing in dyes and fabrics. He met his future wife, Phyllis, after picking out her shoe from a box at a Halloween dance. Following their marriage, Allan took a job as a Research Chemist with Dow Chemical in San Francisco, CA., where his family grew with the addition of Dorothy and Christine. While at Dow, Allan was honored to have worked alongside Linus Pauling, a Nobel Prize recipient. The family relocated to Williamsburg, VA where he set up a new research lab for Dow and accumulated numerous patents in his name. There, the family welcomed their third daughter Betsy. Shortly after, Allan left his position to attend Princeton Seminary and obtained a degree in Theology. Upon graduation in 1964, he served as a minister at the First Presbyterian Church in Hudson, NY until 1971. During his orientation at First Presbyterian, he made a visit to the last member of the renowned Church family residing at Olana. In the community room of the church, Allan helped to create the Hudson Day Care Center. In 1972, he combined his passion for chemistry and love for people to become a Chemistry teacher at Hudson High School, where he would go on to be the head of the Science Department during the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Allan and Phyllis were together for 65 wonderful years. They loved to travel, mountain climb, camp and bird watch, especially with their friends, Katy and Stan Bardwell. Allan was passionate about protecting the environment and sailed with his family on the Clearwater. He was President of the Catskill 3500 Club, having climbed all the mountains in the range over 3500 feet in all four seasons, sometimes accompanied by his faithful dog Shanti. Upon retirement, he received much enjoyment as a volunteer at the Claverack Library and volunteered as a bird counter for Cornell University for many years. He was an avid vegetable gardener, supplying L’ Hostellerie Bressane, Hillsdale, NY with the best shallots the chef had seen outside of France. He was an excellent cook, handing down this passion to his daughters. His love for classical music continued throughout his life and comforted him at the end of his days. His daughters loved hearing stories Allan would tell about being babysat by Leonard Bernstein while growing up in Lawrence. Allan is predeceased by his brother, Robert; sister, Geraldine Wirth Kirk, her husband, Oliver, and their son, David. He leaves behind his beloved wife Phyllis; daughters Dorothy, Christine (John) Sejan, and Betsy (Renee Stone); grandchildren Adelaide and Sam Sejan; niece Allison Kirk and several other nieces and nephews. He was Papa to Joslyn, Emily and Kat and father to his beloved cat Morris. A special thank you to Jackie who cared for both Phyllis and Allan at home over the past couple years. We cannot thank you enough. Aside from family, Allan touched and influenced many lives. He accepted everyone for who they were and made everyone feel special. He was particularly passionate about his students at Hudson High. He will be celebrated in the hearts of many. Fly high Papa! There are no calling hours. A celebration of his life will be held in early summer at the convenience of the family.