Peter J. Kiefel

Peter J. Kiefel, 61, of Carmel, Indiana, passed away on September 28, 2025.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, on February 4, 1964, Peter was the son of Morris Charles Kiefel and the late Margaret Meryl (Ward) Kiefel and brother to Ian and Julie. Peter married Wendy (Peard) Kiefel on February 7, 1998, in Melbourne, Australia. They welcomed their son, Jimmy, in 1999, and their daughter, Hannah, in 2002.

A devoted and loving husband and father, Peter worked tirelessly as an amazing provider for his family right up to the week before he passed.

Peter was proud of his children and their accomplishments. He loved cooking with his daughter, Hannah and they regularly prepared special meals together, Peter often took Hannah to Flix Brewhouse for dinner and a movie. With his son, Jimmy, Peter enjoyed 10 pin Bowling, playing Skip Bo, attending Elton John concerts, Indy 500 and trains. Peter liked family vacations, carefully planning road trip itineraries for the family to enjoy places like Yosemite, Kitty Hawk, and St. Louis. He loved watching the sunset and birdwatching with Wendy. Peter transferred his enjoyment of Australian barbecue to American BBQ and was known for grilling his signature ribs for family and friends.

Peter liked being outdoors and enjoyed family holidays at Wilson’s Promontory, Lakes Entrance and Lake Michigan. He played club tennis and lacrosse and enjoyed traveling with friends and family to tournaments.

Peter's other lifelong passion was music. Since high school, he was an avid guitar player and songwriter. In both Australia and the USA, he routinely met with friends to make music, forming multiple bands and recording songs, and he was proud to play for friends' milestone events. With his family and friends, Peter also enthusiastically attended live concerts and collected band T-shirts; he loved the sound of a wailing guitar and a great bassline. A favorite pastime was listening to music with Wendy.

Peter was a passionate follower of Australian Rules Football and a lifelong supporter of the Collingwood team. He adopted the Colts in the USA and enjoyed watching their games with family and friends.

Peter regularly attended Cornerstone Lutheran Church with his family, where he particularly enjoyed infant baptism services and admired the CLC Comfort Dog Ministry.

Peter had a talent for building lasting friendships with people from work, his neighborhood, school and sporting clubs.

Peter enjoyed several family pets. In 2020, the family brought home Cordelia, a pitbull. Although Peter initially expressed strong reservations, Cordelia quickly had him wrapped around her paw, and he liked that she was never far from his side.

Peter graduated from Mitcham High School (now Mulluana College) in 1981 and earned a Diploma in Drafting from Box Hill TAFE in 1983. He worked as a draftsman until 1998.

In 1998, Peter pivoted his career, graduating from Monash University with a Graduate Diploma in Computer Science and in 2017 an MBA from Western Governors University. He began his second career as an IT Specialist at Shell Australia followed by Australia Post, and later at Anthem (USA).

At rest now in heaven, Peter is survived by his loving wife, Wendy Kiefel; daughter, Hannah Kiefel; son, Jimmy Kiefel; father, Morris Kiefel; brother, Ian (Deb) Kiefel; sister, Julie Kiefel (Chris Morley); nieces and nephews, Rian Morley, Alex Kiefel, and Ben Kiefel.

Memorial contributions in Peter’s name may be sent to Cornerstone Lutheran Church Missions https://cornerstonelutheran.churchcenter.com/giving