At 88, Hirschoff still loves work, golf and life
Posted: 7/25/02
by John Gessner
Staff Writer
Otto Hirschoff has worked at the Valley Natural Foods co-op for three years. When the store moved to its new location on McAndrews Road in Burnsville, Hirschoff pared his work schedule from 30 hours a week to eight.
ìI told íem Iíd work part time because Iíve got so many other things going on,î said Hirschoff ó who is 88.
If heís not tending his suitably untidy, chemical-free garden, Hirschoff might be found on the golf course ó walking, not riding in a cart.
ìThis morning I played nine holes of golf. I shot a 40 at Rich Valley,î said Hirschoff, who shot his age for 18 holes 12 years ago at Carriage Hills in Eagan. ìIíve still got the touch.î
Hirschoff, the former owner of a Minneapolis sporting-goods store, has rarely failed to earn a paycheck since ìretiringî at age 66. Now heís a finalist for the Minnesotaís Outstanding Older Worker Award.
The award is presented by Experience Works, a national, nonprofit organization that provides training and job services for older workers, the Minnesota Department of Economic Security and Cenex Harvest States Cooperative. Hirschoff was nominated by his niece, Paula Hirschoff.
ìMy theory is that if you donít use your body it will take over and start deteriorating faster than normal,î said Otto, who lives in Lakeville, near the Burnsville border. ìSometimes I work like a dog, get all tired out, have a lot of aches and pains; then I take a hot shower and a cold shower and Iím all back to normal again.î
Hirschoff was born in Zurich, Switzerland, and was an infant when his family came to the United States.
ìI almost died on the ship coming over, they tell me,î he said.
The family lived in Minneapolis and Golden Valley, where Hirschoff caddied at Golden Valley Country Club and began developing his golden, age-defying swing.
One of five children, Hirschoff also learned healthy eating habits in his youth. He recalled that in the 1920s his brother, Gus, peddled cases of cooked whole wheat up and down Lyndale Avenue.
ìAfter that I was always conscious of what I ate,î Hirschoff said. ìMy mother was from Poland and married my dad in Germany and learned how to cook German- and Swiss-type foods, and they were healthy foods.î
After serving as an Army court reporter in Europe during World War II, Hirschoff worked at Gusí sporting-goods store in New York. The pair eventually became partners in Ski Den Sporting Goods. The store stood at Oak and Washington near the University of Minnesota campus from 1949 to 1981.
Hirschoff has held a succession of jobs since retiring. He managed the Eddie Bauer shoe department at Southdale, managed the ski and golf department at Hermanís Sporting Goods and worked as a golf-course ranger. From 1992 to 1999 he worked at White Wolf Ski and Patio in Burnsville, which has since closed.
ìWe had been members of Valley Natural Foods,î said Hirschoff, whose wife, Anita, is 66. ìThey were always looking for help, and there werenít any more places I cared to work at as far as sporting goods were concerned.î
At 85, Hirschoff was hired as assistant produce manager. He now works Thursday and Saturday afternoons as greeter, floorwalker and jack-of-all-trades.
ìIt is incredible, because he has such an abundance of energy,î said Eileen LaFavor, a store manager. ìHe eats very healthy and has a huge garden and tends to a lot of plants at home. Heís always on the run. He plays ukulele. Heís just a riot.î
Hirschoff, who has two children in their late 20s, loves the work.
ìI start conversations with people because Iím always at the front counter there,î he said. ìI can start a conversation with somebody about nothing. Sometimes itís about the golf, sometimes itís about the gardening, or exercise, or what we sell at the store.î
Armed with his ukulele, Hirschoff has led sing-alongs at store outings and in guest appearances at the Burnsville and Lakeville senior centers. Itís part of a comprehensive anti-aging strategy.
ìLetís say that I was blessed with health, good genes,î Hirschoff said. ìThen I was aware of good food all the time. I have to say that I smoked until I was 39 years old, and quit just like that. I donít imbibe more than a couple beers a year (laughs).
ìI work hard. I keep my body moving.î
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