Obituary: Hessel Sturisky
A native of South Africa, he moved to Atlanta to be near his grandchildren and became known as "Bagel Boy."
Hessel Sturisky, age 91, died peacefully in his sleep Sunday, March 11, 2018, at Hospice Atlanta.
Raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hessel moved with his wife, Julie, to Atlanta in 1994, joining their sons, Selwyn, Hilton and Gary, who already lived here. Son Derrick moved to Atlanta in 1995 to complete the family. Selwyn and Derrick had recently married, and, as Hessel said at the time, “We didn’t want to be long-distance grandparents living a continent apart from our future grandchildren.”
Hessel was well known around town as the “Bagel Boy.” He worked at Goldbergs Deli for four years before moving to the Atlanta Bread Co. in Perimeter, where he worked every day until he was 88 years old. He was beloved by his customers for his friendly welcome of “darling” for the ladies and “young man” or “boychik” for the gentlemen. People were known to make a special trip to the store for lunch or stand in a longer line simply to be served by Hessel. A big fan of the game show “Deal or No Deal,” Hessel’s go-to joke for customers placing their lunch order was “Is that your final answer?” with his best Howie Mandel imitation.
A true mensch, Hessel is survived by his wife of 53 years, Julie; his sons, Selwyn (Lauren), Derrick (Dena), Hilton (Lauren) and Gary (Diana); Jeff and Emily Grosoff; and 13 grandchildren, Sam, Ilana, Maddie, Adam, Marc, Ryan, Kiefer, Ava, Benjamin, Jared, Elliot, Natalia and Gigi.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice Atlanta, Weinstein Hospice or Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Arrangements made by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
comments