Sheldon Wallerstein

Born in St. Louis, Shelly spent several formative years in Springfield, Missouri, with his parents, the late Edward and the late Shirley (Rosen) Wallerstein, along with his sister, the late Miriam Bluestein. After moving back to St. Louis, Shelly graduated from University City High School. He attended Washington University where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He loved singing, even performing with a Wash U Men’s Choir that sang at Carnegie Hall. He also served in the Army Reserves.

He liked to say that he was an early employee of the then fledgling Sigma Chemical Company, which became Sigma-Aldrich and eventually grew to almost 10,000 employees. He worked there for his entire career, first as a chemical engineer and then as a biochemist. Shelly truly loved his work, feeding his thirst for knowledge, which he shared freely with others as a trainer/mentor to fellow employees. He even maintained a chemical analysis lab in his basement and used it to carry out experiments to challenge the validity of product ingredients and was happy to point out when companies weren’t living up to the promises of their labeling.

Outside of the world of ideas and science, he was dedicated like no other to his family. Shelly and Deanna (Solomon) were married in 1964 and created a loving family for their three sons, Neil (Micki), Eric (Amy), and Michael (Jeffrey Ricker). As Deanna’s health declined due to Parkinson’s Disease, Shelly eventually left Sigma-Aldrich to take care of her. Being a caregiver became a way of life for him, helping not only Deanna throughout the rest of her life, but numerous other family members and friends as well. He saved his greatest love for his grandchildren, Samantha, Devon, Benjamin, Seth, Ethan, and Talia, who brought him pride and joy beyond belief.

Shelly was fervent in his belief in the importance of democracy, equality, and human rights. He also was very vocal in sharing his opinions, never passing up an opportunity to try to sway people to his views.

Always a positive and joyful man with a beautiful smile, he will be deeply missed by all who hold his memory as a blessing.

Sheldon will be remembered at a graveside service at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road, Chesterfield, on Thursday January 15, 2026, at 1:00 pm, and the family will be welcoming guests for shiva at Eric and Amy Wallerstein’s house, 1204 Wildhorse Meadows Drive, Chesterfield, MO 63005, on Thursday from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Friday from 8:00 am to 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and Sunday from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, Sheldon asked that donations in his honor be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, and Congregation B’nai Amoona.