Ingrid Mascha Hirsch

Ingrid Mascha Hirsch of Redding, CT passed away peacefully on January 2, 2022, just a few months shy of her 100th birthday. Born on April 17, 1922 in Hamburg, Germany to Hans Hermann Fuchs and Mascha Fuchs, Ingrid spent her childhood mostly in Hamburg, but also in various other European cities. At the age of 17, just before WWII broke out, she was sent to England, where she eventually joined the British Army. She was trained as a driver for officers, and after some time also of large supply trucks. She was stationed in Southampton, and told the story of watching waves of aircraft flying overhead, as they made their way to the Normandy beaches on D-Day.

After the war, Ingrid located her parents via the Red Cross, and learned that her father was living in New York City. He convinced Ingrid to join him, which she did in 1946, bringing with her only one suitcase of belongings. In September 1948, while working in an attorney’s office, she met one of their clients, Martin H. Hirsch, whom she married six months later.

Ingrid and Martin, the former owner/manager of Hale Company, Inc. of East Arlington, VT, raised their family in East Arlington and lived there for nearly 30 years. During this time, Ingrid was involved in various types of volunteer work, including running Red Cross blood banks and teaching school children to ski at Bromley Mountain. Once her children were older, she used her truck driving skills and became a school bus driver for the Arlington School District. She was also an active and proud member of the Red Mountain Chapter #41 of the O.E.S. Upon retirement, Ingrid and Martin moved to Madison, CT, where they lived for 23 years until Martin’s death in 2001.

In addition to her husband, Ingrid was predeceased by her sister, Lillebil Fuchs, and her son, Frederic C. Hirsch. She is survived by her son Peter E. Hirsch and wife Susan of York, ME and by her daughter Katharine Hirsch Koller and husband Reto of New Canaan, CT. She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren Selina Koller, Neal Koller, Julia Koller, Conall Hirsch, and Meghan Hirsch.

Services for Mrs. Hirsch will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue (ROAR) at http://roar-ridgefield.org.

The family would like to express their appreciation to Hope Pasqualini for her unwavering companionship and friendship over the last five years.

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