Walter Tesmer Ausfeld

Walter Tesmer Ausfeld, Jr. was a caring husband, father, “Grandaddy,” and friend. He died at age 64, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, surrounded by his loved ones, after a courageous battle to recover from a lung transplant. Walter was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 10, 1957, to the late Walter Tesmer Ausfeld, Sr. and Sara Elizabeth Upchurch Ausfeld (Lib). He spent his younger years in Montgomery before moving to Dunwoody, Georgia, in 1971. While living in Dunwoody during his teenage years, Walter was active in Shallowford Presbyterian Church’s youth program, where he sang tenor in the choir. In 1975 he graduated from Dunwoody High School and went on to attend Auburn University, where he graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in Business. While at Auburn, he was a Phi Gamma Delta fraternity member. Walter moved back to Georgia after graduating college. At his first job, he met his wife, Tonya Anne Christian Ausfeld, with whom he celebrated 40 years of marriage this year. They were married on February 20, 1982, in Atlanta, Georgia, at Shallowford Presbyterian Church. The couple moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia, in 1984, where he and Tonya raised their two children, Elizabeth and Erick. Walter spent his career in retail, managing many stores and departments with Florsheim, Shoe Gallery, Macy’s, and most recently, Burlington. In 2010, Walter and Tonya settled on Cardinal Lake in Duluth, Georgia - a dream of his after growing up spending many summers on Lake Martin in Alabama. He most enjoyed spending time with his children and two grandchildren along with fishing, watching Auburn football games and Atlanta Braves baseball games, listening to music, working in the yard, and tinkering around the house. After several years of battling Sjogren’s syndrome, which led to a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis, Walter entered Emory University Hospital in December of 2021 to await a double lung transplant. He courageously received his transplant on January 9, 2022. His family is grateful to the lung donor’s family for their selfless gift. He remained in Emory Hospital until his death. Survivors include his children, Elizabeth A. Daugherty (Patrick) of Smyrna, GA, their two children, Grace, and Marshall Daugherty, and Frederick (Erick) C. Ausfeld of Duluth, GA. Other survivors include his sisters, Barbara A. Hubbard (Edward) of Peachtree Corners, GA, and Carol A. Wright (Greg) of Eatonton, GA, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. The memorial service will be held Thursday, August 11, 2022, at 2 pm at Shallowford Presbyterian Church (2375 Shallowford Rd, Atlanta, GA 30345), with a reception to follow. Memorials can be made to Emory Healthcare with sincere appreciation to the Lung Transplant team. The donations page is found at the link below (copy and paste into your browser address bar). You may give to your area of choice or search “Transplant” to select “Emory University School of Medicine Transplant Surgery Education, Research and Program Development” to support the transplant teams directly. https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1705/02-health-sciences/interior-hybrid.aspx?sid=1705&gid=2&pgid=592&cid=1350&appealcode=UEHC6