Peter Hierl Obituary

Peter Hierl, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away on February 18, 2022. Peter was born on May 17, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, to Dorothy and Joseph Hierl. The family moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, where he attended Plainfield High School, running track and cross country and excelling at academics. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963, and completed his doctorate in chemistry at Rice University in 1966. Following postdoctoral studies at Yale University and the University of Colorado, he joined the Chemistry faculty at Kansas University in 1969, where he taught for 45 years.

Peter wrote that "the main thing I wanted to do with my life was to have a family, to spend time with my family, and to help my children grow to have happy, successful lives of their own." He married Janet Storey on August 31, 1984, and together they had six children, Emily, Erika, Michael, Annie, Ian, and Gretchen. He had two daughters from his previous marriage, Katy and Julia.

Peter loved to travel, and took many road trips through the American West with his family. Peter's favorite place was the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and all of his children and grandchildren have grown up connected to the Rockies as a second home. He also shared his lifelong love of the Jersey Shore, taking his family to body surf and build elaborate sand castles as he had done as a boy. At home in Kansas, he would sit with his beloved dogs and cats and read book after book on American history and the natural history of the Western US. He was a gifted photographer, and took thousands of pictures that captured the heart and beauty of the people and places he loved. Each time they moved to accommodate their growing family, Peter and Janet landscaped their new home with gardens and hand-hauled rock features, and always a blue spruce. A family man with a soft heart, Peter was happiest surrounded by the noise and chaos of pets and kids and stacks of shoes by the door (especially when he had a good pair of noise-canceling headphones).

Peter is survived by his wife Janet; his children Julia and her husband Jeff, Emily, Erika, Annie and her fiancé Brooks, Gretchen, and Ian; his grandchildren Ryan, Jeremy, Bryer, Tes, and Aaliyah; his brother and sister-in-law Thomas and Karyn; his in-laws Wally and Paula; his brother-in-law David; and his nieces and nephews Katrina, Alexander, Marina, and Suzanne. He was preceded in death by his children Katy and Michael, and his nephew Christopher.

A memorial service will be held March 1, 2022 at 3:00, at First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway Lawrence. Chapel Oaks Cremation & Funeral Services is honored to serve the family. See www.chapeloaksne.com for online condolences.