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On Monday, June 16th, 2003, Wally Strosnider was suddenly taken from the
lifting world. His loss left us all shocked and also left a huge void in the lives
of many. This page is dedicated to his memory.
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Home
Memorials
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The Wally Benchpress Meet! June 26th, 2005 St. Louis, MO
Hello everyone,
Nancy has decided to run a Benchmeet in honor of Wally! Count on showing up, picking up a shirt, and having fun!
Get all the details at the link below!
[The Wally Bench Meet]
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"I for one, would very much like to hear more from these folks with so many memories of Wally that they can go on and on. Please do. I know that I'm not alone when I say that I'd love to hear it all."
Nancy
Send your thoughts to be added to Wally's Memorial page to Rick:
[ E-mail to: Mens99Meet@aol.com ]
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"It is with great sadness that today while searching the internet that I
found the Memorial Page of my old friend Walter "Wally" Strosnider.
I first met Wally at a Junior college in Missouri, Kemper Military college
where his brother Bruce was my English teacher. Bruce was very impressive
and when I first walked in to the weight room he was doing presses behind
neck with 315.
A young guy came up to me and introduced himself as Walter Strosnider. I
think Walter was Benching 185 @ the time, 1967.
He got me hooked and together we trained there during my first two years of
college. I believe Wally was a junior in their high school program.
What a great time we had training, it was during the Vietnam war years and
going to a Military school was not easy because of the physical hazing. I
could go on for hours regarding some of the stuff we did together.
After graduation I went back to Chicago and Wally continued with his pursuit
to become a teacher. In 1975 I married and Wally drove up to my wedding and
spent time. He had matured into a bear of a man and we worked out @ the
local ymca. He was benching 450 doing reps.
We had long discussions on lifting and powerlifting and how steroids had
taken so much out of true lifters recognition. I remember him talking of his
father @ nasa and how against steroids he was.
Until recently my life has been focused on my work and only now after not
lifting for 25 years have I gotten back into working out...
55 years old still bench 405 @ 190 body fat 5%. I owe all my knowledge to
Walter and carry my body parts because of his great desire and love of the
sport. I regret that I did not keep in touch with him and hope someday to meet
again."
To his family and friends my deepest sympathy.
I shall never forget you Wally.
Your friend
Bill Walters
Austin, TX
"Dear fellow Lifters:
I have a lot of things to say about my best bud Wally, or "China man" to his old weightlifting buddies. To say the least, Wally was a super COACH. There was not a person Wally would turn away if they need help. As long as you would listen and learn, he would talk and teach. And could he teach! I was a little 170lber when I met Wally, now I'm a big 220lbs. Wally taught me to lift along with a 148lb. Rick Fowler. These two guys taught me everything I know and would tell me when I was wrong too. I'm not the best lifter around, but I learned early in lifting from Wally that you could win, but it was more about making personal records, doing the best you could do and being happy with your progress through the years.
I had the pleasure of spotting this man in many of meets his best lifts that I know of are 501 lbs. in the bench and 451 lbs. in the decline, and yet he ever showed off during any of the years I new him. We would have many teams win benchpress titles, but Wally would always be there to spot and lift you out. Even if it cost him numbers in his lift, he would always be there for the team and his fellow lifters came first. I would even have to fight with him to let me spot and lift out to people on our team. Wally felt it was his job to do it all for his lifters and friends. Call him for help and if he could make your meet he would be there. At one state meet I was getting ready to squat and as Wally was sitting down enjoying the meet he saw I was coming up to squat. He somehow saw something and felt it in his head something was wrong with me, so being the guy he was, he got up and came over to have Rick spot a side. Sure enough as I was going down in my squat, 451 lbs. to be exact, I got a pinch in my right hip, the side Wally was on. How he knew I'll ever know. He said it was just something he saw that was not right with me. Now that's a COACH. He saw it and no one else did.
He was truly my best friend through life and will truly be missed, but I know he's watching over all of us. To some people this is boring to read but hell, he was the man. The Intown Facility owns tons of records because of him; too many to count. But that didn't matter to him, because it was the people that mattered. Wally would also step up and help your family whenever he could. He was also a very bright man, and a collector of so many things. The gym was like a play house. You could bring your kids in and Wally would always have new toys, movies and books for the kids to play with while you lifted. But don't get me wrong, the gym was a gym and your kids could come in but they had better behave. Because in the back of the gym it was all about lifting and not getting hurt. Through all the years I was down in the gym nobody, and I mean nobody, got hurt while Wally was there. You learned to do it right and keep doing it right. Trust me he knew when to tell you to stop. He was the best. I'm a better person for knowing him and Wally you will be truly missed in my life and my kids.
I Love you Wally thanks for taking me under your wing and showing me the right way to enjoy life. God truly needs you to help someone upstairs in lifting, because your the best he called you to help. I know you'll do us all proud. Just keep one eye on Me while you're upstairs with the big team."
Love, your friend and buddy,
Jim "POPEYE" Bell
"Rick, it was really good to see you today, I just wish it would have been under different circumstances. If I could have gotten up and spoken today I would have said that it was always a dream of mine to be a champion in the sporting arena, I played baseball and was OK at it until I realized that I couldn't hit a slider, football or basketball was never an option due to my size but weightlifting always came fairly easy. I am truly a lucky human being who was able to realize one of his dreams, not a lot of people can say that, without Wally Strosnider none of that would be possible, I owe so much of what I am today to Wally. When Wally died a part of me died with him and I know that I can never get that back. Having said that, I carry Wally with me every breath I take and try to live up to the high standard that he set, I am truly a better weightlifter and a human being because of him."
Gerard Dolci
"What a shock it was when I learned of Wally's passing. At first I thought it must be a mistake. Surely someone as young and vital as Wally couldn't have left us.
What a great individual we have lost. In all the years I have known Wally he has always been an easy going guy, understanding of others problems and always willing to help in any way he could. Wally has been a great influence on the lifting scene in the St. Louis area and always available to help in running the contests.
My family and I offer Wally's family and Nancy our deepest sympathy and pray that you weather this difficult time as smoothly as possible. As much as we will miss Wally it is impossible to know what you are going through."
Mike, Sue, Dawn & Steve Cissell
Dear Jim (Popeye)
"It is with tears in my body and my eyes and with the deepest regret that my lifetime friend, WALLY STROSNIDER, has passed away. It is just too hard to even realize that he is gone. With the feelings that I have inside of me I don't know if I can get through this or not, it is so very hard and emotional. I know that it is for you as much, Jim. You know without a doubt Wally was the best. Wally and I had started lifting together doing the Olympic lifts. At that time, Wally only weighed 181 so you know that goes back a hell of a long time, I think about 1973 down at the old gym on Rodgers and Utah. That was before Wally had his job at LHI. Then we went to the Southside Weight Lifting Club. It was after that, that Wally got his job at LHI. MY whole family knew Wally, all four kids and wife. When my youngest daughter used to go to LHI to get her shots, her and Wally always had a big conversation together. So you know this is a big heartbreak to my whole family. Remember, Jim, when you, Wally and I would get together at LHI? Man! What a blast we had. We all laughed so hard that I thought our sides would burst and we were always pulling a trick on each other. Jim, it was one of the greatest times of my life. Those times that Wally, you and I had, I will always consider the "Private Golden Years" of my life. When I think of those times the emotion just dwells up inside of me.
But lets not forget that Wally was the cornerstone of powerlifting in St. Louis and a lot of other places, also. Wally always went the extra mile. One year I was low on money, and if it hadn't been for Wally, my family would not have had a Christmas. That's the kind of guy Wally was. You know I could just go on and on about the times Wally and I had. The next time we meet, Jim, I will tell you a lot more.
Well, I guess I might as well wind this up. I know I have talked a long time but how can you talk about Wally and not talk a long time!
Like I said, Wally was the cornerstone of powerlifting and the cornerstone for a lot of guys. As for me, Jim, WALTER STROSNIDER WILL ALWAYS BE THE MAN AND I DO MEAN THE MAN. I will go and pay my respects to Wally but he will never be gone to me. For as long as I live, Wally will always live within me and my family. How could you ever lose a spirit like his?
Just one more thing, and that is I want to say to you, Wally, and I know that you knew and that is, "I LOVE YOU BUDDY AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Your dear friend and buddy,
BUTCH MARKS
"Wow what can I say...I'm stunned at the news of Wally's passing. I knew Wally since meeting him at the 1986 Ozark meet, where he was doing what he enjoyed the most: helping his lifters. On this particular occasion it was Jim Bell and Joe Presson, but through the years Wally has probably helped a hundred or more lifters; and has probably wore out twice as many training partners.
The names have been many, as he has helped a lot of lifters through the years. Some that immediately come to mind include (but aren't limited to) Jim Bell, Jim Davis, Ralph and Joe Presson, Bob Brake, Mark Gamache, The Bockhorsts, Ron & Linda, Bill McDonough, Brian Dolan, Gerard Dolci, Joe Gould, Ron Serra, Jim Bourisaw, Butch Marks, John Quante, Barry Falconer, Johnny Springmeyer, Andrea Apple, Kathy Jones, Johnny Mueller and plenty others that I'm sure I've overlooked and have faded due to a saturated memory.
To Wally though, it didn't matter who you were. He would always be willing to lend a hand and give someone some help if they needed it. He was forever willing to put his time in at meets judging and helping out where ever needed. Most often, he was happiest spotting and loading though, instead of sitting in a chair. All in all he made things a little easier for the meet directors.
As a lifter, Wally was as impressive on the platform lifting as he was coaching. I have a lot of fond memories of Wally, but some of the fondest were of seeing him when I was a kid. Maybe to a small degree, time has altered my recollection of how good things actually were and it's also possible that I was caught up in the whole new-ness of the lifting scene, causing me to distort the memories of how cool Wally was. But more so than anything, it was because he really was cool. Time cannot alter the memory that much, no way. He was the man around these parts. My best thoughts of Wally were at Matt Whalig's Biggest Benchpress in the Midwest in 1987 & 1988. I remember he benched somewhere near 450lbs. on that cold November day in 1987, and did it with a super long pause, super strict....and without a benchpress shirt I might add. It was like a Wally World convention, enough so that Bell and I even put together a Wally World B bench team with all the Wally World extras that day, because the Wally World A team was full. And boy did the house ever erupt when Wally lifted, the people came alive and it was pretty darn exciting! Those meets at Brentwood and Manchester were some great meets, and Wally was a big reason.
When looking at what really sets a person apart you have to look at what qualities really define someone best and make them most unique. It's how and why a person stands out so to speak. It's true that Wally was a great coach and had unequaled success in our area. But there are great coaches to be found anywhere across the country. It's also true that Wally's lifting was ahead of his time and that he put up some impressive numbers and set who knows how many records. But there have been many since that have lifted much more. So to me, even though they were ultra superior to most, it was not his coaching or his lifting that really set Wally apart. The thing that set really set Wally apart was his all out nice guy personalty, his history and lineage in the sport.
When sitting down to talk with Wally about the old days, he would gladly share a story or two and did he ever know his stuff. After decades of being around the iron, who better than Wally to be our historian? This guy had more stories than Mother Goose! Stories that you knew were true, because Wally told only that. It was neat for me to be able to ask him about something and just watch him sparkle as he told the story like it happened yesterday. This is what set Wally apart from the rest for me: Him as a person and his personality. You got the real deal, a genuine article. A rare, old school dude that did things the way they were supposed to be done, lifted the way true lifters were supposed to lift, and living life the way it was supposed to be lived. With Wally what you saw was what you got: A true lifter's lifter that could relate to each and every one of us.
We have truly lost a legend in Wally's passing and can only join hands and all take a step in a little closer. My deepest sympathy to Wally's friends and family."
Rick Fowler
"The lifting world has suffered a great loss with Wally's passing. I remember meeting him I think for the first at the State meet at Wentzville high school.The first thing that struck me was here was a genuinely nice guy, who when he asked if you needed help, he really meant it. I remember how he built a dynasty of a bench team, and how the combined efforts of St. Louis and Granite City lifters failed to unseat them. I also remember the first time stepping into Wally World, and being impressed with the no-frills, strictly business, spartan training mentality of everyone there. He was a gifted lifter, and a gifted coach,and I'm a better person today for having known him."
Sincerely,
Greg Chrun
"I am saddened to hear of the untimely passing of a true gentleman to the
sport of powerlifting in the St Louis area.
Wally Strosnider was a soft spoken man with an unique gift -- He would always listen intently to what others had to say -- And, if asked a question, his reply would be one of substance.
You will be missed Wally."
My sincere regards to his family,
Lance Bargatze
"Just a note to say what a sad day! Wally was a person that no matter if you were rich or poor he was your friend. If you needed help, all you had to do is ask Wally, and if at all posible, he was there to help you. He was a person that would listen you what you had to say. He was a great mentor, he loved to teach, and his biggest love was the "iron". His sense of humor, a little strange, but great. He loved to play jokes and could take them too. I am not sure what God needed with a power lifter but he got "the best". Wally I will never forget the support you gave me when I was having a real bad time. The power is with you, Wally you will be missed by both of us."
Anne and Bud Koste
Rick,
"My mind reels still. I was home alone when my husband called that night with the horrible news. I felt as if I had been kicked very hard in my midsection. It is still so very unreal. Too hard to accept. I have so many pictures in my mind of Wally. Pictures that span at least 3 decades. I had the duty of informing my children and I will not soon forget their responses. It just can't be....from 27 to 39...they still don't want to believe it. My daughters remember him from the Old St. Louis Weightlifting Club,before that it was a little building on the south side of St. Louis. Then, of course, the LHI gymn, which was virtually, Wally's Gymn..to all of us who knew him. My youngest always spent time there when she would have to go for allergy shots. Waiting her time for the shot to be checked, she would sit with Wally and chat...he was never too busy, not even for a child, as she was, then.
I could ramble on and on with memories...memories that will never leave...pictures to help heal our hearts. The meets, the lifts, the laughter and tears.
Taken from us much too soon, but yet to remain in our hearts forever. A slice of love and true friendship, in a world of confusion. That was, and always will be, Wally to my family."
Carol Marks
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Send your thoughts to be added to Wally's Memorial page to Rick:
[ E-mail to: Mens99Meet@aol.com ]
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| Page provided by Rick Fowler of the Missouri USAPL |
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