Michael Wirth

Michael Wirth, 63, of Hopkinton died late Friday night at Hospice House in Concord after a long battle with multiple myeloma. He was born in New York City, the son of Michael and Mary (Vanish) Wirth.He was educated at Stuyvesant High School in New York City, Brooklyn College, Harvard University, and Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a Ph.D. in botany. He worked in botanical research at Smithsonian Institution and Bronx Botanic Gardens before discovering his passion for teaching. He taught in New York City, Maine and Missouri before joining the faculty of New England College (Henniker, NH) in 1970. His students and their intellectual development were of utmost importance to him. He was profoundly interested in the sciences, both the details and the broad concepts and issues. He was particularly proud of developing a special course aimed at educating all students in the ways of science. He was an avid gardener and grower of orchids and other specialty plants. His garden in Hopkinton is appreciated as a special place of beauty by friends and strangers alike. He had a lifelong commitment to conservation issues and an interest in animal welfare. He was devoted to his cats. He had wide-ranging interests in many areas, including textile arts, Asian art, music, languages, and political and religious history, among others. He was known to his friends as a man of great and infectious enthusiasms. Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Mary (Knipp) Wirth; two sisters, Nena Franchak of Jermyn, PA and Elisabeth Chup of Scranton, PA; nieces and nephews. A gathering of remembrance will be held Saturday, October 27, at 3:00 p.m. at the New England College Danforth Library in Henniker. Memorial donations may be made to the New England College Way of Science Fund, c/o Allyn Gilbert, New England College, Henniker, NH 03242 or to The Nature Conservancy, Attn.: Treasury, 4245 N. Fair fax Drive, Suite 100,Arlington, VA 22203-1606 (1-800-628-6860).