Obituary of Donald Hersh

Dr. Donald Hersh, 86, of Bernardsville, N.J., passed away on March 20, 2014, after a brief illness. A private graveside service will be held today, March 21. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m.on Sunday, March 23, 2014 at the Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Rd., Mendham,N.J., www.baileyfuneral.com, with a a memorial service at 4 p.m. in the funeral home. Born in Newark, N.J., and having graduated from Weequahic High School, Donald graduated from Columbia University in 1951 and then attended the Columbia School of Optometry. He lived in and practiced optometry in Maplewood for nearly 50 years, before moving to direct the contact lens divisions of Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, and the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute in Teaneck, N.J., working there with his son, Peter. Donald and his beloved wife, Carol, moved to Bernardsville in 1985. Donald loved his family and career. He specialized in the contact lens management of corneal diseases, with a particular interest in keratoconus. He was innovative and was the developer of the Hersh Palpebral Traction lens, a specialized contact lens. Donald lost his wife, Carol, in 1994, and son, Jimmy, in 2007. He leaves his son, Peter, and his wife, Beth, and grandchildren, James and Julia; his daughter-in-law, Karen Hersh, and grandchildren, Matthew, Bradford, and Caroline, and his sister, Elaine Krusch, and niece, Stacey Krusch, and grand-nephew, Ellis Krusch. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the National Keratoconus Foundation.