Somers, Conn.—Peter Chipouras, a well-known figure in the stone industry, passed away while on business in Orlando, Fla. on April 3 in a car accident. He was 51.

Chipouras spent almost his entire career in the stone industry. He started out in his grandfather’s brown stone quarry, McCormick Quarries.

His career took him to Saudi Arabia, where he became general manager of National Quarries. During that time, Chipouras opened several granite quarries and was also responsible for the fabrication of many commercial building projects.

He would eventually return to the U.S. to work with his father, Stati (Chip), at the family company Stona.

Chipouras also was the founder of Fairfield Marble, a residential marble and granite fabricator, as well as two finance companies—Leasing Advantages and Sterling Capital Partners.

Chipouras is survived by his wife, Anne; son, Christopher; daughters Dana and Katie; mother, Eileen; sisters, Cathy Croall and Ann Rice, and brother, Jay.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Wilson House, P.O. Box 46 East Dorset, Vermont 05253, or the American Diabetes Association Memorial Program, P.O. Box 1132, Fairfax, Va. 22038.