Lewis Frederick Leber
Dad was born in Seattle to Ralph and Mary in 1928, and had two older brothers, Ted and Bruce. He graduated from Roosevelt High school in 1946 and Reed College in 1950, where he met his wife of 60 years, Mary Jean Piper. He spent two years in the Korean War as a staff Sergeant for the Chemical Corps and afterward returned to help his father run the family business, Leber Ink Company. He loved the Ink business and became life-long friends with many of his co-workers and business associates. He and Mom built a house on the north end of Mercer Island in 1955, where he lived for the rest of his life. In the early 1960’s he and nine other wine enthusiasts founded Associated Vintners (now Columbia Winery), in order to make the first premium wines made from grapes grown in Washington State. Dad traveled the world for both business and pleasure and through his generosity made sure that his children and grandchildren were exposed to the history and culture he loved. After selling the family business in 1985, Dad and Mom bought an RV and traveled to almost every state in the Union. Every spring they drove south to California, Arizona and Utah to stay in touch with close friends and family.An avid reader, Dad enjoyed learning about a wide variety of subjects, but especially the stock market, the economy, history, and as many friends know, politics and foreign policy. He was a skillful investor. Later in life he became a talented cook, an avid pie maker, and always enjoyed experimenting with new recipes and passing on his culinary knowledge to his children and grandchildren. Dad was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and an honest, good and caring person. His greatest pleasure came from spending time with family, good friends and his cat Kia. He is survived by his wife, Mary, his brother, Ted, his daughter, Janet, his three sons, Fritz, Todd and Matt and his grandchildren, Rob, Katie, Kim, David Lewis and Blake.All who knew Dad will greatly miss his charm, feisty wit, and good conversation. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lew’s name to the charitable organization of your choice.
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