Harriet Gerber Lewis, chairperson of Gerber Plumbing Fixtures Corp., died Sept. 24 of a heart attack.

Harriet Gerber Lewis, 81, chairperson of Gerber Plumbing Fixtures Corp., and a beloved plumbing industry citizen, died Sept. 24, 2001, of a heart attack. She was the daughter of company founder Max Gerber and sister of former company CEO Oscar Gerber, who died in 1983.

She was one of the first women to steer a manufacturing company through decades of financial and marketing growth. Since she assumed an active role in the business in 1953, Gerber's annual sales increased more than 10-fold.

Her daughter, Ila Lewis, is executive vice president of the company. Other surviving family members include son Alan Lewis, daughter Nancy Pollak and niece Daryl Stokles.

Memorial donations may be made to: Jewish United Fund, 1 S. Franklin, Room 505, Chicago, IL 60606; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, P.O. Box 1852, Highland Park, IL 60035; or American Red Cross - Liberty Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 97089, Washington, DC 20090.