Peter E. Geier

1957 - 2017

Geier, Peter E.
1957 - 2017
Peter E. Geier passed away on November 14, 2017, after a very brief illness, at age 60 surrounded by his loving family. He was born on July 6, 1957 in Richmond, Indiana. Pete was preceded in death by his father, Jerome Geier; mother, Roselyn Geier; brother, William Geier; and father-in-law, Robert Derbick. He is survived by his wife Susan (Derbick); children, Jessica (Jeff) Sebastian, Eric (Ashley), David, and Katherine; grandchildren, Leah, June, Zachary, and Julia; sister, Mary Beth Miller; brothers, Kevin (DeDe), David (Kem), Stephen (Karen); and countless other family members. Pete grew up in Richmond, Indiana as the youngest of six children. He always held close his fond memories of Richmond and the time spent there with his parents, brothers and sister, as well as his high school football playing days for the legendary Richmond Red Devils. Pete went on to attend Purdue University where he met the love of his life, Susan, in 1978. Over the next 40 years, they were never apart. The two shared a spirit and sense of humor that made their love truly special. And though Pete was a success in business, his true passion was his family. He loved nothing more than being around the people he loved, watching his beloved Cincinnati Bengals, and listening to his all-time favorite musician, Bruce Springsteen. Pete graduated from Purdue with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1979 and continued on to Butler University where he received his M.B.A. in 1983. From there he relocated to Columbus, Ohio where he began his 15-year career with Huntington National Bank. While at Huntington, Pete had the opportunity to oversee the company's most complex business relationships. As Executive Vice President and then Vice Chairman and President of Huntington, he conducted presentations at investor conferences hosted by investment banks, structured debt and equity issues, and led the bank in significant expansion through bank and insurance company acquisitions. Pete was recruited to The Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center in 2001. As the organization's Chief Operating Officer, he assumed the task of turning the organization around and improving financial performance. In 2003, Pete was asked to take on additional responsibility for the OSU Health System as Chief Executive Officer and served in both positions until stepping down in early 2016. The Medical Center held a special place in his life. He took every decision he made to heart, knowing the impact it had on the lives of patients and those who worked there. He continued his impact at Ohio State by becoming a Senior Lecturer at the Fisher College of Business. The span of Pete's business career in Columbus includes being in the inaugural class of Business First's "Forty under 40" in 1993, being named Chief Operating Officer of the Year by Columbus Business First in 2014, and being named the 2016 Annual Honoree of the OSU Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program. During his career he served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards, including: Academic Medical Center Connection, Columbus Area Growth Foundation, The Financial Services Roundtable, Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, Columbus Council on World Affairs, Huntington Bancshares, Inc., Insight Bank, First Financial Bank Corporation, University Health System Consortium, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, National Church Residences, Franklin County United Way, United Cerebral Palsy Association Of Ohio, Ohio Bankers Association, Ohio State University Hospital Boards, The Ohio State University Health Plan, The Ohio State University Physicians, Incorporated, Columbus School for Girls, Santa Rosa Consulting, Prologue International, Incorporated, World Presidents' Organization, as well as multiple other corporations. Family will receive friends from 2-6pm Sunday, November 19, at the Schoedinger Worthington Chapel, 6699 N. High St. Mass of Christian Celebration 10am Monday at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, 6899 Smoky Row Rd, Columbus, OH 43235. Fr. Mark Summers Celebrant. Reception immediately following the service at the Worthington Inn, 649 High St, Worthington, OH 43085. The family requests no flowers be sent. Instead, to continue Pete's commitment to improving Central Ohio communities, donations may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, 711 E Livingston Ave, Columbus, OH 43205, in his memory.