Arthur Franklin Hirsch

Arthur “Bud” Franklin Hirsch, beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, and community member died this past Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA.

Bud was born to Dorothy and Louis Hirsch on May 10, 1947 in Austin, TX, where he spent his childhood alongside his sister, Margot and black cocker spaniel, Jet. He often spoke of Austin of the 1950’s as a magical place to grow up, where the governor’s daughter went to the local public school, and where as a boy, he could be independent enough to skip gymnastics for the comic bookstore, but not enough to get away with it for long. At McCallum High School, Buddy (as he was then called) excelled in mathematics, wrote for the sports column, and developed a lifelong habit of picking up wonderful friends and holding on to them for life. In his “free” time, he helped in his dad’s bakery and was an active member of the Texas Oklahoma Federation of Temple Youth (TOFTY).

He excelled in academics, attending the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania through the Naval ROTC program, earning an Alumni Award of Merit, spent four years with the US Navy stationed in Norfolk, VA (the USS Inchon), and then headed to Harvard Business School for his MBA. It was during this time in business school, while traveling back to Texas to visit his mother and sister that he reconnected with Betty Baxt, a sociology graduate student at UT whom he had first met in Jewish youth group when they were teenagers. As he would tell it, he was immediately smitten and dedicated the next couple of years to convincing her that she should feel the same. They were married in Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, TX on August 31, 1975.

After the wedding, the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Bud started work as the Assistant to the Vice President of Operational Services at Penn. He took on the role of Vice President in 1980, and in 1984 left the university to begin a successful career in commercial real estate. Bud and Betty started their family in 1978 with the birth of their first son, Louis, followed by Anne (1979), and David (1984). He was a proud father, who loved to share what his kids were up to with everyone he knew and reveled in hearing about the many successes of his friends and their children. He served the community on a number of boards and advisory committees, including HIAS, Radnor Township, and Main Line School Night. He was also a proud supporter of Pennsbury Kids, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting the students and families of Pennsbury School District.

Bud’s life was defined by his intelligence, his sense of humor, his unwavering devotion to friends and family, his passions for politics and Philadelphia sports, and his dedication to living up to his highest ideals of honesty, diligence, justice, and compassion. Betty, his children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren are proud to carry on this legacy that he so doggedly and lovingly built.

Relatives and friends are invited to Memorial Services Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1:00pm at Temple Sholom in Broomall, 55 Church Lane, Broomall, PA 19008. Interment private. A meal of consolation will follow at Temple Sholom.

The family respectfully requests contributions in lieu of flowers be made in his memory to Temple Sholom in Broomall, PA (templesholominbroomall.shulcloud.com/form/Donate) and Pennsbury Kids (https://sites.google.com/pennsburykids.org/pennsburykids/ways-to-help).

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