Walter Hiersteiner

Walter Hiersteiner, an executive of Tension Envelope Corporation forover 60 years, and a long time contributor to many civic causes died Saturday morning at the Kansas City
Hospice House after a long illness. He was 90 years old. A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at The New Reform Temple, where Walt and Jean were founding members, located at Main and Gregory. Immediately following the service, a reception will be held at Homestead Country Club, 6510 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS.
Friends, if they wish, may remember and honor Walt by contributions to the Hiersteiner Early Childhood Development Center at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College
Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210 or to Kansas City Hospice House, 12000 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO 64145. Mr. Hiersteiner was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa and Harvard Law School where he was a member of the Law Review. After serving in the Navy in World War Two, he moved to Kansas City to practice law and later
joined Tension Envelope where he became Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Walt’s first love was his family, especially his wife Jean and his grandchildren, to whom he was unconditionally devoted. Walt was also devoted to his community. He was elected to the City Council of Fairway, Kansas. He served over 40 years on the Menorah Medical Center Board of Directors and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Truman
Medical Center and the Truman Medical Center Foundation. He was active in the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Board of Directors of Move-Up, which was formerly the Kansas City Ad Hoc Group
Against Crime. He was a founding member of the Main Street Coalition. His passions, after family and golf, were enhancing public school education for the children of Shawnee Mission and the State of Kansas. He was elected to the Shawnee Mission School
District Board of Education. He was appointed by the Governor of Kansas to serve on the Kansas Board of Regents and became chairman of that board. In addition he was co-chairman of the Committee for Excellence of the Shawnee Mission Schools and served on the Board of Governors of Kansas University Law School and the Kansas Higher Education Loan Program. These activities earned him the Kansas City Spirit Award and the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation Patron Award for service and support of Johnson County Schools. He was named Johnson Countian of the Year. Walt and Jean, established the Walter and Jean Hiersteiner Early Childhood Development Center at the Johnson County Community College. Walt is survived by Jean, his wife of 65 years; four children, Dick
and Erica Hiersteiner of Boston, Massachusetts, Mary and David Ruedig of Concord, New Hampshire, Joe and Cathy Hiersteiner of Kansas City, and Dottie and Peter Oatman of Boulder, Colorado; nine grandchildren and his brother, Stanley of Des Moines, Iowa; his sister Shirley Feldman of Sleepy Hollow, New York, nieces and nephews, and numerous impoverished golf partners. The family wishes to express its deep appreciation to the wonderful, caring and considerate nurses and staff at the Menorah Medical Center and the Kansas City Hospice House. Special thanks are made to Walt’s home care providers, Annie Mayberry and Rondi Wright, whose care and friendship have been so valued by Walt and Jean.