Juergen Strauss was born in Euskirchen, Germany on August 25, 1924 to Oskar and Edith Strauss. He spent most of his childhood in Neuwied, where his father was a partner in a five- and ten- cent store. In 1937, Juergen moved to Cologne to go to a Jewish high school, since Jews were not allowed to go to regular high schools under Hitler’s rule. Shortly before Germany invaded Poland, Juergen and his uncle tried to convince his father to leave Germany, but he refused. In 1939, Juergen left on the Kindertransport and went to Belfast, Ireland. His parents stayed, and, in 1947, Juergen received a notification from the Red Cross that, according to records, they had been killed in Auschwitz.
In Belfast, Juergen stayed at a boarding house with many other boys and girls that had been transported from Germany to Ireland through the efforts of the Jewish community in Belfast. While there, Juergen’s boarding house was bombed, and the children had to move to a farm where they were trained in how to live and work on a kibbutz in Palestine. On the bus ride to the farm, Juergen met his future wife, Phyllis Hunter. Not being much of a farmer, Juergen went into business as a used automobile salesman and continued in that vein until the gas rationing of 1947 put him out of business.
Through the help of his uncle, Juergen moved to Buffalo, New York and entered the army. He and Phyllis had corresponded ever since they met on the bus, and, in 1951, they married. After transferring to Fort Bliss, Juergen became a U.S. citizen in 1953. After leaving the military, Juergen worked for Nestle Co. as a salesman. He then purchased the Empress Beauty Supply Co. with Saul Bargman. Juergen sold beauty supplies through the company until he retired in 1991. Phyllis died on March 5, 2010. Juergen died shortly after on April 25, 2010.