H. Peter "Pete" Lieber

Herman Peter Lieber Born November 7, 1944 - Died November 28, 2021 Herman "Pete" Lieber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 7, 1944 to parents Kurt Erwin Lieber and Margaret Elizabeth (Taylor) Lieber. In his early childhood he spent time living in both New York City and Indianapolis. Later, in 1958 he was fortunate to have the opportunity to sail to Europe on the USS United States with his family including his grandmother, Alma Bachman Lieber, and his beloved younger sister Marta Ellen Lieber. Together they attended the World's Fair in Brussels, Belgium which included the particularly memorable Russian Sputnik exhibit, as well as many other sites throughout Europe. Pete attended the Park School for Boys in Indianapolis from which he graduated in 1962. At Park, Pete competed in both wrestling and football, was elected to the student council and later, was elected class President. Pete was a popular and well-liked friend, forming relationships with several of his classmates with whom he maintained close ties for the rest of his life. He attended Brown University but left the school to work at the H. Lieber Company, his family's frame and photography business in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was here that he first developed his sharp business and sales skills and what would become a life-long love of photography. Pete joined the Navy in 1966, serving on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Vietnam War with tours throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Onboard his role was an electronics officer, with roles that included working on the ship's many guns, maintaining and monitoring the ship's radar equipment and doing complex mathematical calculations to keep the trajectory stable for firing the guns while the ship rocked. During his military service, he was given the “National Defense Service Medal.” After the war, in the early-1970's, Pete worked in advertising and photography in Orlando, Florida. In the mid-1970's Pete and two partners single handedly created the pet hermit crab fad, founding the Great American Crab Company in 1977. The company rose to incredible fame in a very short period, including coverage in Time Magazine and newspapers nationwide. There was even a photograph that ran in the papers at the time of President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter stepping off Air Force One carrying one of Pete's hermit crabs in a branded box. Historians of Indianapolis have long noted the business and commerce contributions of the Lieber family. Pete's grandfather and namesake, Herman Peter Lieber, was a businessman and founding member of the Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis. Pete followed in those footsteps and made his own mark on Indiana history when, in the late 1980's, he joined his two close friends Owen and Janet Neighbours working for the State of Indiana in the economic development department. With his outgoing personality, intellect, and tireless work ethic, Pete excelled at this endeavor bringing dozens of businesses both large and small to the State of Indiana. These experiences also gave Pete rich material for many wacky and wonderful stories, including a story of escorting Mr. and Mrs. Toyota around central Indiana and showing them several grocery stores where Mrs. Toyota sought out detailed information about what size bags and types of rice the stores carried. In recognition of Pete's significant contributions to job creation within the state and the overall quality of life for Indiana residents, he was presented with the coveted Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1988 by Indiana Governor Robert Orr. Hoosier Energy, the electric cooperative company serving southern Indiana, recognized Pete's skill and hired him away from the State. Economic development is a joint effort of many contributors, but Pete was a real spark plug who was integral to this process and continued his successful streak of attracting significant new commerce to the Hoosier State. The Honda auto manufacturing plant in Greensburg, Indiana was another large project to Pete's credit before his retirement in 2007. In recognition of Pete's drive and business acumen during his service to the State, the Indiana Economic Development Association presented him with a coveted "Excellence in Leadership" and "Lifetime Achievement" award. "That best portion of a good man's life - His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love." Pete will forever be remembered by his many close friends and family as a kind, gentle and caring soul, a gifted and funny story teller, and a bright, inquisitive and sometimes wacky explorer and inventor with a childlike enthusiasm for learning and a deep curiosity of the world. He devoted many hours of his life to various wide-ranging personal endeavors, including drone, arial, landscape, art and portrait photography, sculpture and painting, numerous mechanical, motorized and engineered inventions, a deep knowledge of trivia and history (including a trip to NYC to compete for a spot on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"), and business and stock trading research which included more than three decades devoted to developing a trading system and detailed formula for predicting the stock market. Pete was a devoted and much-loved brother, uncle and friend. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kurt and Margaret Lieber, his step-mother Barbara Lieber Henderson, and his beloved sister Marta Lieber Link. He leaves behind two sisters, Jennie Lieber of Ashland, OR and Kate Lieber of Portland, OR, nephew Larry Link of Brooklyn, NY, niece Katherine Sparks of Carmel, IN, his best friend and frequent companion, Sharin Martin of Indianapolis, IN, great nephews Thomas Tragesser of Fort Lee, VA and AJ Matheson-Lieber of Portland, OR, and great nieces Katie Tragesser of Carmel, IN, Hannah Heskin of Ashland, OR, Maxine Matheson-Lieber of Portland, OR, and Maya Link of Brooklyn, NY. Pete's sudden passing leaves a hole in so many lives, and he will be missed tremendously by all those who had the pleasure to know him. Rest in peace, dear Pete.