Dr. Walter Wayne Furer passed away peacefully in his sleep, at Lenox Hill Hospital, near his Manhattan home, on June 4th, 2020. Walter was 88 and is survived by his daughter, Cassandra Furer. He was predeceased by his wife, Irene Furer, (2002), his daughter, Sabrina Furer, (2010) and his parents, Max, (1996) and Lillian Furer, (2004).

Walter Wayne Furer was born on November 19th, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York, to Max and Lillian (Libby) Furer. Walter was raised in Baltimore, Maryland and Beverly Hills, CA, in a conservative Jewish home, and his father, Max, was the director of the Los Angeles Jewish Academy, and Dean of the Talmudic Department at the Pacific Hebrew Seminary. Max and Libby were both active, jointly and separately, in several organizations, including the American Jewish Congress, The Indianapolis District of the ZOA, Borinstein Guild, Beth El and B’nai Torah Sisterhoods, Hadassah and the JEA Auxiliary. In addition to her position as Vice President at the Borinstein Guild, Libby was also a talented cook and interior decorator and excelled at tapestry and dressmaking. During their years on the West Coast, Max also directed the Hour of Israel, a weekly radio program. Max and Libby were deeply devoted parents who created a warm and beautiful home for Walter wherever their work took them. Walter was their only child and they showered him with love and encouragement and instilled in him a passion for learning and hard work.

Walter was a child prodigy whose life story amazed all who knew him. He studied violin at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore and, upon attending one concert with his parents, recited the score so perfectly that he corrected the concertmaster. Walter was academically gifted, possessed a photogenic memory, starred in multiple sports and was also a popular jokester and friend of many. After graduating from Beverly Hills High School, in CA, he was offered football scholarships at Stanford University and the University of Southern California, and chose USC to remain close to his mother’s famous cooking!!

At USC, Walter was an honor student and legendary athlete who competed on the boxing, wrestling, tennis, and baseball teams, and quarterbacked the USC Trojans. He often roomed with Frank Gifford at away games. After college, he was drafted as a left-handed pitcher for the minor league baseball team for the Baltimore Orioles. Walter retained his love and enthusiasm for sports throughout his life. He was a faithful attendee each year at the Nationals and US Open tennis matches at The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, and he cheered mightily for his beloved Trojans and New York Mets. During his university years, Walter also managed a movie theatre. He loved watching classic films at home and going to the movies was always one of his favorite pastimes.

Walter began his professional career serving in the Intelligence Department for the U.S. Army, in Paris, France, and went on to become a correspondent for the International Herald Tribune. He fell in love with the Parisian culture, food, jazz music, and language. Fluent in French, Walter was a regular at the renowned Les Deux Magots café in Saint-Germain-des-Pres, where he enjoyed food, wine and stimulating conversation with other intellectuals and artists. Walter was also conversant in Spanish, German, Italian, Hebrew and Yiddish, and his linguistic skills enabled him to forge a highly diverse group of friends.

While it was difficult to leave France, Walter felt his eventual lifelong vocation calling him and he moved back to America to attend Buffalo Medical School, where he graduated with honors in the fields of neurology and psychiatry. He did his residencies at SUNY Health Center at Brooklyn, the VA Medical Center, the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, and at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center. Walter set up his private practice on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, and also worked at the Bowery Mission Clinic and directed a clinic in Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry.

Dr. Walter Furer work was distinguished and renowned. He became the Medical Director of the Park Avenue Psychiatric Clinic, and later the medical director at YAI, and at the NYS Office of Child and Family Services in Brooklyn, NY. Throughout his directorships, he maintained a private psychiatric practice on the Upper East Side. That work included taking over a clinic that catered to the poor and homeless, but was closing in Harlem. Walter moved all of its 200 patients to his small private practice. He was devoted to serving his patients 24/7, never excluding weekends, and he was working until the day he passed away. Walter was a prolific reader – three different newspapers each day and often two books in a week – and he especially enjoyed reading biographies, history books about Israel, and humorous crime fiction. In addition to watching sports, he especially loved watching British comedy.



Dr. Furer met his future wife, Irene (Bauer) Furer in Manhattan, and they were married in August, 1968. Walter and Irene often hosted and attended parties and enjoyed living in Manhattan. Irene gave birth to twin girls, Sabrina and Cassandra Furer in 1969. Walter and Irene escorted their girls from an early age to concerts at the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and to jazz clubs, such at The Red Blazer, Too and The Blue Note. The family made wonderful memories together walking (and biking) in Central Park, dining in French restaurants and relaxing at their country home in Mahopac New York. They also took trips to Antigua and Jamaica. Walter and Irene loved traveling to the Bahamas and Palm Beach, Florida, where they eventually bought a property. Another favorite destination was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Walter and Irene spoke Spanish with the locals and enjoyed the beautiful beaches.


Walter motivated his daughters to aspire to be their best in every pursuit and activity -- their academics, sports clubs and music lessons. He and daughters actually started a girls’ football team when the twins were enrolled at PS6 in elementary school. They hosted entire grade slumber parties, at their coop and at Gimbels departments store. As the girls grew older, he taught them the art of being true foodies and enjoying fine wines.

Always an unapologetic nonconformist, Walter marched to the beat of his own drum. He was very social and charming at events, and loved surprising his neighbors by occasionally dressing up in a large fur coat and huge fedora hat. Humor was prominent in his personality, and unfailingly during challenging times. Walter’s frequent saying, “People aren’t always arguing what they’re arguing about,” revealed his never- ending curiosity about what lies beneath the surface. He loved the ocean and vacationing at his condo in Palm Beach. At the pool, a line of people would form for the “Doc”, to ask questions about their medical ailments, and to share their inner- most secrets. He obliged gladly, was always attentive, offered information and advice from his broad experience, and kept their confidences close to his chest.




He was forever young at heart, an adventurer and enthusiastic traveler who, even during his last years, was eager to start planning his next trip.

Dr. Walter Furer will be deeply missed. His endless quest to learn and excel and his unwavering devotion to his family and patients will serve as inspiration to all who knew him. His determination to overcome his own addictions strengthened his endless empathy with his patients. His commitment to his practice and patients shined through, and everyone admired and appreciated his capacity to care, his willingness to listen, and his embrace of all those needing help, anytime, anywhere. May Walter Furer inspire us to listen well and to pursue our vocations with unbridled passion, until the end.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to The Bowery Mission, www.bowery.org.