Lumer took over the firm that includes Joe\'s Auto Parks in downtown L.A. and expanded operations to cities and airports in six states. Lumer drowned while on vacation this week in Argentina.
Joe Lumer, who was born in a Holocaust-survivors camp in Germany and went on to run a sprawling parking-lot empire that includes 75 Joe\'s Auto Parks in downtown Los Angeles, drowned this week in Argentina. He was 62.
Lumer, a Brentwood resident who was vacationing with his wife, Esther, in Buenos Aires, did not return to their hotel from an early morning walk Monday, said Gilad Lumer, the eldest of their three sons. His body was later found in the Rio de la Plata, the river on which the city sits.
Circumstances of the drowning are unclear, Gilad Lumer said Friday, but authorities have ruled out foul play. The family was awaiting word of when the body would be returned from Argentina.
"He was just a very genuine person, and very down to earth," his son said. "Everybody who knew him automatically liked him and respected him. He was very easy to get along with and relate to, and he related to everybody."
Joe Lumer, a Holocaust researcher and the author of two books, was better known as chief executive of the L&R Group of Companies, which operates Joe\'s Auto Parks and WallyPark. The company recently sold several of its other holdings, including Network Parking, System Parking and Five Star Parking.
Although some thought Lumer was the namesake for the Joe\'s Auto Parks that dot downtown L.A., the company actually was named for an uncle who founded the family business decades ago. But the younger Joe Lumer was the one widely credited with transforming the firm from a local business into one operating in cities and major airports in six states.
After World War II, Lumer\'s family began buying up parcels in downtown Los Angeles and paving them as surface parking lots that, by some estimates, grew to encompass 10,000 spaces. In recent years, some of the lots have been sold and developed as condominium complexes.
Throughout his career, Lumer maintained a lower profile — and higher standards — than some others in his highly competitive industry, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a friend of 35 years.
"In a word, Joe was a human being, just a decent human being," he said. "In a business that is cutthroat and dog-eat-dog, he stood apart. He didn\'t pick fights and he always conducted business honorably. For me, it\'s a personal loss. But it\'s also a loss for the business community of Los Angeles."
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