By JODI SOKOLOWSKI
Buffalo Law Journal

Trial lawyer J. Gregory Hoelscher died unexpectedly Wednesday while vacationing with family in Las Vegas.

"He was cut down so young. Such a great guy, a great family," said Matt Garvey of Garvey & Garvey PC, with whom the solo practitioner shared office space. "This was one of those things that comes at you from left field."

Hoelscher's brother-in-law, Robert Haun, said the 47-year-old, who was in Nevada to visit his sister's family, may have died of an aneurysm.

"They were going to spend half the trip in Vegas and half in California," Haun said, "but their oldest son was having so much fun with his cousins that he said, ‘Let's skip California.' "

A Buffalo native and East Aurora resident, Hoelscher was president of the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association and attorney for the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association.

He was "a great ambassador for all things good about our legal profession," said Western New York Trial Lawyers Association president-elect Walter Pacer Jr., of the Law Offices of Walter R. Pacer Jr. "It's sad and a shock for all of us."

A St. John Neumann High School alumnus, Hoelscher graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1982 and the University at Buffalo Law School in 1986.

A member of Cellino & Barnes PC from 1998 to 2005, Hoelscher went on to represent personal-injury clients through the Law Office of J. Gregory Hoelscher.

"We had a lot of fun and we had a lot of laughs. It was nice to have that support with one another," said Garvey. "I'd often turn to him for some guidance on something, and he was always willing to share his insights."

A volunteer basketball and baseball coach, Hoelscher also enjoyed watching Notre Dame football and was a fan of Irish music and culture.

"He had the most integrity of anyone I ever met in my life," Haun said. "He would do anything you needed, whether it be monetarily or (to) help move. He was never too busy."

The youngest of five - including siblings Jack, Jamie, Susan Sweeney and Tricia - Hoelscher was, Haun said, "the glue of his family."

He is survived by his wife of nearly 20 years, the former Annette Haun; two sons, Jesse and Jude; his stepfather, C. James Zasadil; and stepmother, Carole Hoelscher. He was the son of the late John Hoelscher and the late E. Patricia Zasadil. He was also the grandson of the late Leo Hagerty, a former state Supreme Court judge and Erie County district attorney.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held April 23 at Immaculate Conception Church in East Aurora.

The family is accepting donations in Hoelscher's name to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Annette Hoelscher is a two-time breast-cancer survivor - and to the Belfast Children's Fund.