Obituary for Atara Kirsh (Scharf)
Atara (Scharf) Kirsh, 61, of Merrimack, died on Sunday January 8, 2023 following a multi-year battle with cancer.
Atara was born in Jaffa, Israel on April 5, 1961, daughter of the late Jacob Scharf, and Reghina (Schwartz) Scharf, who survives her. She grew up in Providence, RI, and briefly lived in Nashua before settling in Merrimack in 1985.
Atara married the love of her life Robert Kirsh on September 2, 1984, and they cherished 38 years of marriage, two sons together, and many adventures together.
Atara graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1983 with a B.A. in Psychology. She worked at various local banks for a few years before fulfilling her dream of being a stay-at-home mom and frequent field trip chaperone for her sons. As her sons got older, Atara began a 24-year substitute teaching career in the Merrimack School District, working in the middle and high schools before eventually focusing on fifth and sixth graders at the upper elementary school.
Atara looked at the world with a sense of optimism, considered life to be an adventure, and tried to live it to its fullest. An avid cruiser, she went on 32 cruises in her life, accompanied by different combinations of her husband, children, family, and friends. She enjoyed photography and would take advantage of these trips to take beautiful pictures of sunsets in the Caribbean. She thought of strangers as friends she had not met yet and was happy to have a conversation with anyone, and her cruises led to friendships with people around the world.
It was important to Atara that her home be welcoming, and it was always open to her sons’ friends, many of whom would walk in, help themselves to food and drink, and then check to see whether anyone was actually home. She is also remembered as an excellent cook and a fan of science fiction (as long as it did not involve time travel, which she could never quite understand) and movies where things explode. She loved cats, and made sure the house had two of them for most of her adult life. In her later years, she developed an appreciation of wine, which she would enjoy with family and friends, and of game nights, which were always full of constant laughter.
In addition to her husband, Bob, Atara is survived by her sons Jarrad Kirsh of Boston, MA, and Daniel Kirsh and his wife Samantha of Litchfield; her mother Reghina “Rina” Scharf of Nashua; her sisters Marilyn “Miri” Scharf and her husband Daniel Lapierre, and Loren Thibeault and her husband Derek, all of Nashua; numerous nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, and grand-nieces; and a great many friends, who she considered members of the family. She is predeceased by her father, Jacob Scharf.
SERVICES: A funeral service in her honor will be held at Temple Beth Abraham, 4 Raymond St., Nashua on Tuesday January 10, 2023 at 1:00 PM. Internment and burial will follow in Beth Abraham Cemetery, 428 W. Hollis St., Nashua, NH 03062. Friends are invited to attend. Memorial observance (Shiva) will be held at Atara and Robert’s home, 43 Mallard Point Road, Merrimack, on Tues, Weds, Thurs Jan. 10-12 6:30-8:30pm, with Minyanim at 7:30pm each day. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS: the family requests donations in Atara’s memory to the Birthright Israel Foundation www.BirthRightIsrael.Foundation -OR- Temple Beth Abraham www.TBANashua.org/donate -OR- Community Hospice House, 210 Naticook Rd., Merrimack, NH 03054 www.hhhc.org. Arrangements in care of the DAVIS FUNERAL HOME, One Lock St., Nashua, NH 03064. An online guestbook can be found at www.DavisFuneralHomeNH.com (603)883-3401 “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”
Atara was born in Jaffa, Israel on April 5, 1961, daughter of the late Jacob Scharf, and Reghina (Schwartz) Scharf, who survives her. She grew up in Providence, RI, and briefly lived in Nashua before settling in Merrimack in 1985.
Atara married the love of her life Robert Kirsh on September 2, 1984, and they cherished 38 years of marriage, two sons together, and many adventures together.
Atara graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1983 with a B.A. in Psychology. She worked at various local banks for a few years before fulfilling her dream of being a stay-at-home mom and frequent field trip chaperone for her sons. As her sons got older, Atara began a 24-year substitute teaching career in the Merrimack School District, working in the middle and high schools before eventually focusing on fifth and sixth graders at the upper elementary school.
Atara looked at the world with a sense of optimism, considered life to be an adventure, and tried to live it to its fullest. An avid cruiser, she went on 32 cruises in her life, accompanied by different combinations of her husband, children, family, and friends. She enjoyed photography and would take advantage of these trips to take beautiful pictures of sunsets in the Caribbean. She thought of strangers as friends she had not met yet and was happy to have a conversation with anyone, and her cruises led to friendships with people around the world.
It was important to Atara that her home be welcoming, and it was always open to her sons’ friends, many of whom would walk in, help themselves to food and drink, and then check to see whether anyone was actually home. She is also remembered as an excellent cook and a fan of science fiction (as long as it did not involve time travel, which she could never quite understand) and movies where things explode. She loved cats, and made sure the house had two of them for most of her adult life. In her later years, she developed an appreciation of wine, which she would enjoy with family and friends, and of game nights, which were always full of constant laughter.
In addition to her husband, Bob, Atara is survived by her sons Jarrad Kirsh of Boston, MA, and Daniel Kirsh and his wife Samantha of Litchfield; her mother Reghina “Rina” Scharf of Nashua; her sisters Marilyn “Miri” Scharf and her husband Daniel Lapierre, and Loren Thibeault and her husband Derek, all of Nashua; numerous nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, and grand-nieces; and a great many friends, who she considered members of the family. She is predeceased by her father, Jacob Scharf.
SERVICES: A funeral service in her honor will be held at Temple Beth Abraham, 4 Raymond St., Nashua on Tuesday January 10, 2023 at 1:00 PM. Internment and burial will follow in Beth Abraham Cemetery, 428 W. Hollis St., Nashua, NH 03062. Friends are invited to attend. Memorial observance (Shiva) will be held at Atara and Robert’s home, 43 Mallard Point Road, Merrimack, on Tues, Weds, Thurs Jan. 10-12 6:30-8:30pm, with Minyanim at 7:30pm each day. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS: the family requests donations in Atara’s memory to the Birthright Israel Foundation www.BirthRightIsrael.Foundation -OR- Temple Beth Abraham www.TBANashua.org/donate -OR- Community Hospice House, 210 Naticook Rd., Merrimack, NH 03054 www.hhhc.org. Arrangements in care of the DAVIS FUNERAL HOME, One Lock St., Nashua, NH 03064. An online guestbook can be found at www.DavisFuneralHomeNH.com (603)883-3401 “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”