Pete Anton Houlberg

Peter Anton Houlberg, P.A. Houlberg, or just plain Pete is what he preferred. He was a simple man, a good man. He entered military service at the age of 17 and served with the 11th Calvary as a tank driver in Korea. He married Barbara Mabery in June of 1967. He re-entered the Army in December of 1969 and they were stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC where he was attached to the 101st Airborne Division. He served a 10 month tour of duty in Vietnam as a motor sergeant with the 101st, much of that time spent at Camp Eagle on the DMZ. He may have been attached to the 101st but he declared to all who tried that he was never going to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, they were wasting their time.

Upon his return to the states, he finished his tour at Ft. Bragg and returned home to Mount Dora in November 1972. He went to work for Fred Smith at Smith’s Truck Salvage and in 1974 he bought that business and ran it for 6 years working for the surrounding cities and FHP with his 5 wreckers. He loved that work and was really good at it. Many young people passed through our yard seeking his advice, his know-how or parts for the junker they were working on. Sometimes they just wanted to talk and he was good at listening too. It was the 3 am calls that helped him make the decision in 1981 to move into something a little less tiring and he opened Houlberg’s RV Center and stayed at that for 20 years before he retired.

Now the fun really began for Pete as he was able to pursue his love of antique tractors and equipment He rebuilt, restored and resurrected many and oldie and had a blast in the process. Red was his color and International Harvester his brand. He took the motto “if it ain’t Red, leave it in the shed” and bought signs to that effect. His very good friend is Frank Paulhamus, a John Deere Man, and they had many a friendly disagreement.

Pete’s last few years were spent with those he loved and his tractors at pulls, parades, shows and gatherings.

He will be sorely missed by all.