On May 11, 2021, Center for Movement Challenges (CFMC)™ and the family of Walter and Estelle Strauss, including their daughters Sandra Spielberger and Michelle Schwartz, honored their parents in the naming of the Walter and Estelle Strauss Wellness Center. The day was shared by family, friends and the community.
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To their daughters, Sandra and Michelle, Walter and Estelle were role models for how people deserve to be treated, overcoming adversity, and generosity towards others in need, and they want the qualities of their parents to be remembered as an inspiration to those who struggle in their lives.
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After learning about the LDBF Boxing for Parkinson’s program and the benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s, Sandra and Michelle wished that their father would have such an incredible exercise program to help him live a better life with Parkinson’s.
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Walter was born in Alsfed, Germany in 1923. At the age of 13, with few possessions and no money, but with the help of a sponsor in the United States, he fled the Nazis and arrived in Bluefield, West Virginia. Walter's parents, Albert and Martha, and his brother, Henry, were also able to escape Germany to freedom in Africa, but his sister, Hana Lore, sadly perished in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland.
Walter later settled in Atlanta and, after finishing high school, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he distinguished himself as a translator of German.
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After WWII, Walter returned to Atlanta and founded Walter’s Clothing, a store for men and boys, located at 66 Decatur Street in Downtown Atlanta. The red and white awning still stands as a landmark since 1952.
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Walter treated all who entered equally, from Atlanta sports and music celebrities to the average Atlantan. Walter was known as the godfather of the sneaker world and was an icon in the Atlanta business community.
Walter’s wife, Estelle, was born and raised in Atlanta and spent her career as a teacher and mentor in the public school system and she played a vital role in helping her husband build the Walter’s empire.
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Walter passed away peacefully on July 5th, 2018 at the age of 94. Barely a year later, Estelle, his beloved wife of 64 years, passed on August 15th, 2019 at the age of 87. They are survived by their daughters, Sandra Strauss Spielberger and Michele Schwartz, and their grandchildren, Sandra’s sons Brandon and Mitchell Steinbook.