On Oct 19, 1989 Rainer and I went to the geneology library and found
Walther's (Opa) ward record from Germany on film # 0068808. It says he
became a Deacon 28 Sep 1919 by Ernst Hornickel, and a Teacher on 12 March 1922, a Priest 26 Mar 1926 by Simon Einsinger and an Elder on 31 Aug 1930 by Paul Ludwig. Opa Fassmann died on 30 Jul. 1990 at 2:18 pm at the age of 94, in the resthome on 13th So. between 11th and 13th East of old age.

Walther Fassmann was born June 18, 1896 to Franz Louis Fassmann and Margaretha Raithel. He was the 6th of 10 children. His grandfather had a large flour mill. When his grandfather died the mill was sold and each of his children got three thousand Thaler (a Thaler was worth 3 marks). He was a good student. Shortly before his 14th birthday Walther was baptized on Apr. 30, 1910. 

When he was 14 he learned a trade and started a business with the knowledge of his trade. At the age of 18 he had to go to war, WWI. He worked at the Navy Headquarters in the telegraph department. Often he sent telegrams and received telegrams from various Princes and Kings. He was stationed in Kiel, Germany. 

On March 20, 1920, he married Anna Clara Foerster. Four months before Anna died in 1985 they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. On Dec. 27, 1920 they welcomed their first child Erika. He had a very successful plating company in Germany with a partner so the business was called Guenther and Fassmann. 

Walther also held many different positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Walther and Anna had 4 children Erika, Walter, Heinz, and Helga. Heinz was killed Aug. 22, 1943 during WWII, his legs were shot or blown off and he bled to death. 

Because of the positions Walther held in the LDS church, he was held in jail in 1951 for a week. He was released when the authorities were convinced the Church was a decent institution. In 1952 due to the Communistic uprising Walther fled East Germany into West Germany where he stayed for one year and then he left his beloved homeland for America. After crossing the U.S. from New York, he made his new home in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of his first jobs was janitor in the Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah. Because he was a very industrious and hard working man he began the same business he had in Germany with his son Walter. They began by plating baby shoes and leaves as pins in the basement of the home they shared and later bought a small business building which has been expanded many times over the years and now a very prosperous business by the name of Quality Plating Co. Since the retirement of Walter Jr. his son Glenn Fassmann is now president of the company. 

Walther was a man who always enjoyed learning and put his whole heart into all he did. He was quite well known for his generousity. Many elderly widows depended on him for transportation and he was a man who truly enjoyed driving. It was very hard on him when the family had to take away his driver's license when he was about 90 because of his eyesight. 

He was always very generous with his donations to the LDS church to which he belonged. He enjoyed traveling and loved to go to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho where also enjoyed getting massaged by a Japanese masseur and then sit in the hot water. I think he went to Germany for the last time in 1986 when he was 90. 

Walther always thought that he would win a Publisher's Clearing House sweepstake and tried for 10 years with the help of his grandson-in-law, Rainer Neumarker to do so. He would come over every Saturday for about 3 hours while Rainer filled out the paper work and I, Heidi Kupitz Neumarker would make him a grilled cheese sandwich and a glass of juice which he had for lunch. This he enjoyed.

This information was written in the Fassmann Family Grapevine. A newsletter that Eleanor Hoagland put together to keep the family up on each other's news. In the Dec. 1, 1982 newsletter told by Walter K. Fassmann son of Walther Fassmann Sr.

   One of the most distinquished living members of our Fassmann family is also
the oldest. In fact, Walther Fassmann is one of the few people on this earth
who was born in the last century. To be exact, he was born on June 18, 1896 in
Zwickau, Germany, a son of Franz Louis Fassmann and Margaretha Raithel. Up until he left East Germany he was living in Zwickau except from 1905 to 1908 when the family moved to Plauen. A niece of Franz Louis Fassmann, Liddy Mothes, brought the missionaries and the gospel into the Fassmann home. Eventually the parents and all of their children were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Walther Fassmann was baptized on April 30, 1910. It was a cold day. Because of persecutions the baptism ceremony had to be held in the dark, outside of town in the Mulde River. On the way home he told his mother that it would be her fault should he get sick. When the missionaries visited him the next day he still enjoyed good health.

     Wather's electro-plating career started at the age of 14 when he was offered a four-year apprenticeship. His work was interrupted in 1916 because of World War I. He was drafted into the German Navy and trained as a telegraphist. All during the war he was stationed near the naval center Kiel; consequently he did not see any battle action.

    In the Spring of 1919, on a Sunday, he returned home. As he entered the branch meeting hall in his navy uniform, Anna Foerster, who had never seen him before, made up her mind right then that this was going to be her husband. They were married on March 20, 1920.

    Walther Fassmann continued his work for a while as an electro-plater journey- man. At this time the worst inflation ever hit Germany. By the time a halt could be brought to it in 1923 it took a trillion marks to buy onedollar's worth of merchandise.

     In these dire times their first two children were born--Erika and Walter K. In 1924 the chance presented itself that Walther could buy a defunct plating shop together with another partner. Even though it was tough at the beginning to make ends meet, the business grew into the largest and most profitable electro-plating plant in the area. Two more children, Heinz and Helga were born
while the couple struggled for an existence.

     Anna added tremendously to their success by keeping good house and helping in the household of a butcher shop for many years. Walther and Anna were always active in their Zwickau Branch and were called to many positions. In the mid-1930's, Walther was called to be the branch president and a few years later
presided over the Zwickau District. At this time Zwickau had a population of about 100,000 and a Church membership of little over 200. The district counted nearly 750 members. They all were active and lively branches.

     With the beginning of World War II things changed considerably. Many of the brethren were drafted. All during the war Walther Fassmann served as branch and district president at the same time. Eventually their two sons were also drafted--Walter K. into the German Navy and Heinz into the army. In August of 1943 the message had reached home that Heinz was killed by an artillery
shell in Poland.

     The end of World War II brought the complete collapse of the Hitler regime. For the time being Zwickau and the surrounding area was occupied by American troops. But after three or four months they retreated to the West followed by the Russians.

     Soon after, the Church welfare got into action and brought much relief to the suffering Saints. In the meantime, Walther was called to be the First Counselor of the East German Mission Presidency. Since the mission office was located in West Berlin and East Germany had no access to the West as far as the East German officials were concerned, Walther was the head of the Church in
East Germany. Things finally came to the point when his well-being was endangered. This is beautifully described in the book, "Mormonism in Germany" by Gilbert W. Scharffs, Chapter 10, page 155;

         "In 1951, Walther Fassmann, the first counselor in the mission presidency living in the East, was arrested. He was transporting mone into that zone to deposit in a bank for the purpose of buying a building to be used as a church. The money was taken from him, and he was imprisioned in chains for several days. Said Fassmann: "I was informed that the trial would come up in a few months. I was given a temporary release, but I had to check with the police every week. When I inquired about the money I as told: Don't worry, it is in good hands. And that is where it stayed, for it was never returned." Fassmann was warned that he could expect a five to ten year sentence. He fled from the Russian Zone with his family."

     After coming home from this scare he convinced Anna, his children, and
himself that it was time to get away from the Communist dictatorship. Erika
had already left in the Fall of 1948 to join her husband in Langen, near
Frankfurt, where he had recently been released from prison camp. Walter K,
returning from a prison camp in Yugoslavia the first part of 1949, finished
his schooling and then escaped from East Germany with his wife, Inge, in the
summer of 1951. Helga made it safely to the West in the Spring of 1952 and
Walther and Anna Fassmann followed later in the year. Eventually the whole
family made it to the New World and in February, 1955, they were all residing
in Salt Lake City, Utah.

     For many years Walther worked as a janitor and held two full-time jobs.
Anna was a kitchen helper at Bratten's Fish Restaurant on Fourth South. The
Quality Plating Company was officially set up in the early Spring of 1955.
Working out of the basement of 762 East 6th South. and starting out with
two gallon fish aquariums as plating tanks, things started to change pretty
quick.

     It appeared there was no decent plating shop serving the area and word got around the city about a place which did a good job. Without going into debt, bigger tanks could be afforded. In the Spring of 1957, city inspectors insisted that a commercial location must be found because the business had grown to the extent that it was impossible to continue in a residential area. A small shop
on West Fourth South was found, remodelled, and moved into on Pioneer Day, July 24th, 1957. A few years later, Walther quit his job at the U. of U. as janitor of the Kingsbury Hall, and devoted all his attention to the growing business.

     Military specification work made Quality Plating Company the choice plating shop in Utah and surrounding states. The construction of new building additions to the shop never seemed to end. Finally automatic plating equipment was introduced. Now, national and world renowned names like IBM, Sperry Univac, ADDS, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing, Fernsch Hercules, Thiokol, and many more adorn the customer list of Quality Plating Company.

     Walther and Anna Fassmann have kept active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They never doubted the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are pillars of strength to the Church.

     There are two more events that happened the Spring of 1980 which should not be omitted. On April 20, 1980, Wather and Anna Fassmann celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, an occasion only few couples will live long enough to observe in such good health and mental alertness. A few weeks later, Walther Fassmann helped celebrate the 25th business anniversary of his company.

     We are grateful for Walther and Anna Fassmann for living an exemplary life, for being true Latter-day-Saints and for being loyal citizens of the United States of America. We congratulate them for their accomplishments. More than 50 years ago Walther started to say: "In 50 years it will all be over." In this regard we hope that he will be as incorrect in the future as he was in the past.