Alterwitz-Stralser, Deanne

Deanne Alterwitz-Stralser (née Friedman) was born January 1, 1931 in Hammond, Indiana, the daughter of an insurance salesman and a stay-at-home mom. Alterwitz-Stralser spent her childhood in Calumet City, just across the state line in Illinois, and was raised with a strong Jewish identity. At the age of sixteen, she met her husband, Oscar Alterwitz, at an Alpha Zadik Alpha (AZA) dance in Gary, Indiana, and the two were married in 1950.

In 1973 she and her husband Oscar Alterwitz moved from Gary, Indiana to Las Vegas, Nevada where they bought Walker Furniture from its original owners, George and Ruth Walker. Alterwitz-Stralser was educated at the Art Institute of Chicago and actively worked with her husband in design, merchandising, and selecting furniture for Walker Furniture. After his death in 1990, she became chairman of the board of Walker Furniture. Alterwitz-Stralser was a member of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas and during the 1990s she served on the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas board of directors.