Harry Strauss

1931 - 2020  (89 years)

• Name	Harry Strauss
  Born	1931	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-208284
  Died	27 Nov 2020
  Person ID	I208284	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	John Strauss,   b. CA 1900,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Rose
  Family ID	F59205	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Clothing retailer grew menswear chain from his father's Kitchener dry cleaning business By Brent Davis Record Reporter Harry Strauss, who with his brother grew a retail menswear chain from their father's Kitchener dry cleaning business, has died. "They don't make them like Harry Strauss anymore," remarked Howie Budd, whose family's Budds store stood as a "friendly competitor" to the Strauss brothers for decades. "I saw the way Harry got involved in the community at large as a volunteer," Budd said. "He was a very selfless kind of a guy." Harry - and indeed, the Strauss family as a whole \emdash quietly gave back in Waterloo Region and in Toronto, where he had lived for many years, Budd said. Born in Kitchener in 1931, Harry Strauss grew up around his father's downtown business, Star Cleaners. He and his brother, Gordon, convinced their father to let them try their hand at selling menswear in the shop in the 1940s, and they never looked back. As the retail chain \emdash operating today as Stars Men's Shops and Strauss Menswear \emdash grew, Harry and Gordon decided to split the business in the 1980s as the next generation became involved. Gordon remained in Kitchener, while Harry ran his stores from a head office in Toronto with son Jon. Gordon gradually scaled back his enterprise, eventually closing the original King Street location and selling two other remaining stores at Conestoga and Fairview Park malls back to Harry and his son in 2005. Today, there are a total of 15 Stars Men's Shops and five Strauss Men's Wear locations across Ontario. All of the stores were closed last Sunday to honour Strauss's memory. Budd said both Harry and Gordon were well-respected in the industry, thanks to "being very innovative and highly honourable in the manner in which they operated their business." Shortly after Budd and his brother, Stan, retired in 2016, closing out a nearly 90-year run for the business started by their father and uncles, Howie saw Harry at the store in Conestoga Mall. The two retail veterans had a long talk, with Strauss offering Budd a job. "We had a good laugh as I almost accepted." A Strauss family obituary called the great-grandfather "the best-dressed guy in the room, with a twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes and a sweet smile … Our star was a charmer named Harry." Despite the responsibilities that come with running a business, family always took priority for Strauss, Budd noted. "It's family that always comes first, and it was always number one with he and his wife." "Clothing Retailer Grew Menswear Chain From His Father'S Kitchener Dry Cleaning Business". 2020. Therecord.Com. https://www.therecord.com/business/2020/12/02/clothing-retailer-grew-menswear-chain-from-his-fathers-kitchener-dry-cleaning-business.html. __________________ On Friday, November 27, 2020 we lost our beloved Harry. Loving husband of Shirley. Cherished father of Marci (Mark), Robyn (Z'L) (Stephen), Brad (Terry) and Jon (Shawna). Devoted Grandfather to Aaron (Leslie), Rachel, Josh (Bailey), Ben (Clare), Daniel (Juli), Jesse, Orlee-Rose (Sean), Shira (Adam), Yona, Miya, and Jaxen and Great grandfather to Robbie, Matthew, Sophie, Meyer and Rose. Will be sorely missed by his brothers Gordon (Joyce) and Lou (Duka) and sister-in-law Rhoda (Bob) and all his nieces and nephews. He was born in Kitchener, Ontario in 1931 and later moved to Toronto to continue to build his business, Star Mens Shop. Harry was always the best dressed guy in the room, with a twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes and a sweet smile. He will be deeply missed by his beloved family, his work family and Kitchener, Collingwood and Florida friends. Our star was a charmer named Harry...If desired, memorial donations to: Terry Fox Foundation (1-888-836-9786) or Beit Halochem Canada (905-695-0611) "Harry STRAUSS Obituary (2020)". 2020. Legacy.Com. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/torstar/obituary.aspx?n=harry-strauss&pid=197186039.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1931 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth