Walter Heiman
Walter J. Heiman (March 12, 1901 in Essen, Germany – March 18, 2007 in University City, Missouri, United States) was a Jewish American man who at the time of his death had become one of the last surviving veterans of the First World War.
Early life and military service
Born and raised in
Persecution and emigration
After the war Walter returned to Essen and went to work as an apprentice in the grain distribution business, which later led to him starting his own grain business in 1926. He was unable to pursue a college education because of Germany's discrimination laws on
After the
Later life
In 1941, they moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Walter opened a business selling Belgian light bulbs for a Western Extralite branch. He kept the business as it grew over time, even after his retirement in 1989, at which time he still remained chairman of the board, but then eventually sold the company in 1999 to the family of his original business partner in 1941.
In the 1950s, they moved to Olivette, Missouri, where he and Trude continued raising their two children.
Walter was active in sports like tennis, soccer, snow skiing and swimming. In fact, he was still a swimmer until the age of 103.
Heiman had once dined with Leah Rabin, the wife of Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. They had been at one of Israel's Children's Centers, which are built by a program that Mr. Heiman supported. These centers are built for Israel's immigrant and underprivileged children, and they have both learning centers and tennis courts.
After his wife's death in 1994, Walter moved to an elderly complex in University City, where he resided until his own death at the age of 106.