Fred Meijer and Lena Rader were the grandparents of Peter Meijer.
Peter Meijer’s grandfather Fred Meijer was an American billionaire businessman who was the chairman of the Meijer hypermarket chain, headquartered near his former hometown in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He was born Frederik Gerhard Hendrik Meijer on December 7, 1919, in Greenville, Michigan, United States to Hendrik Meijer and Gezina Meijer.
In 1934, at age 14, he worked with his father Hendrik to found Meijer’s North Side Grocery in Greenville.
In 1962, he launched Meijer Thrifty Acres with his father and pioneered one-stop shopping. He inherited the company after the death of his father in 1964.
In 1990, he handed over the company to his sons, Doug and Hank, although he remained the Chairman of the Board until his death.
Fred Meijer was worth US$5 billion as of September 2011. He was the 60th richest person in the United States at the time of his death.
In 1946, Fred Meijer married Lena Rader and together they had three sons, Doug Meijer, Hank Meijer and Mark Meijer. His grandson Peter became the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 3rd congressional district in 2021.
Fred Meijer died on November 25, 2011, at age 91 at the Spectrum Health System in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after suffering a stroke in his Grand Rapids home.
His wife Lena died at 102 years old on January 15, 2022.