Legendary LV dry cleaner Frank Baller dies at 81

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

After Frank Baller suffered a stroke in 1954 in his native Detroit, his first cousin, longtime Desert Inn boss Moe Dalitz, urged him to come to Las Vegas for a vacation.

That visit turned into a permanent move, as Baller that year opened Deluxe Hand Laundry and Cleaners on Main Street, where for four decades he personally served everyone from the common man to the Strip's brightest stars.

Frank Baller, who in a self-effacing manner boasted that his golf handicap of 50 was the highest ever at the Desert Inn Country Club, died on his 81st birthday Friday at his Las Vegas home of complications from emphysema.

Services for the 42-year Las Vegas resident were held this morning at Palm Valley View Memorial Park.

"My father would personally wait on people and give discounts to everyone, whether they were famous or not," said Albert Baller, who retired as manager of his father's store.

"If people didn't have the money, dad would tell them to pay later."

When he retired in the late 1980s, Frank Baller, a longtime workaholic, learned the importance of spending more time with his family, including his wife of 50 years, Estelle, who died seven years ago, also from emphysema.

"For the last two years of mom's life, dad spent practically every minute with her," Albert recalled of the man who enjoyed chewing cigars almost as much as smoking them, but gave up stogies 15 years ago because of his ailment.

"They would play pan at the Sahara and Union Plaza, where everyone knew them simply as 'Frank and Estelle.' Dad played pan at the Plaza just last week."

Albert, who got real close to his father in later years, said Frank expressed regrets after Estelle's death that his devotion to work deprived him of precious time he could have spent with loved ones.

"Dad said working so hard simply was not worth it," Albert said.

Baller got his start in the cleaning business in Michigan, where, as a young man, he drove a truck for Varsity Cleaners, an Ann Arbor business run by Barney Dalitz, Moe's dad.

Baller inherited a drug store from his uncle, which he ran until his relocation to Las Vegas.

Moe Dalitz, a Las Vegas gaming legend who also has since died, funneled some cleaning work Baller's way. But it was Baller's hard work that more than anything sparked quick growth for his business.

After two years at a small shop that consisted of three ironing boards, one washing machine and six employees, he moved across the road to a larger place at 1211 S. Main Street. When that shop closed 33 years later, Baller had 38 employees and was cleaning 15,000 shirts a day.

Baller's ex-shop now is the site of a substance abuse recovery clinic. The Deluxe Cleaners on South Maryland Parkway is owned by Frank's other son, Michael Baller.

Although Frank's business was frequented by Strip celebrities including Marlene Dietrich, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Lola Falana and Mitch Miller, he never promoted himself as the dry cleaner to the stars.

"That was just not dad's way," Albert said. "But he loved to tell the same stories over and over about the famous people he got to know real well."

One story was that a young Streisand brought in a pair of raggedy shorts and ashamedly asked to have them cleaned. Baller, well aware of people's attachment to comfortable old clothes, assured her he would personally take care of them.

Another story was that Baller often dined with Miller on home-cooked stuffed cabbage when the famed band leader was in town.

"Dad said that, after those dinners, Mitch would make more noise on stage than the band," Albert said.

An avid but terrible golfer, Baller once beamed: "I'm getting better," after firing an 18 on a particularly difficult hole. And, he would only shoot a round of golf if his hat and shirt were of the same color and had matching logos.

Albert went to Frank's home Friday to take him to breakfast for his birthday. He found his dad on the bathroom floor. Baller had died while shaving that morning.

In addition to his sons, Baller is survived by Albert's wife, Joan, and Michael's wife, Susan; and four grandchildren, Jason Baller, Ricky Baller, Becky Prell and her husband, Neal, and Michelle Ayala and her husband, Brian, all of Las Vegas.