HOBOKEN, NJ—The former chairman and CEO of the parent of the Pathmark supermarket chain Leonard Lieberman passed away at the age of 85 at his home here.

Lieberman, who headed Supermarkets General Corp., succumbed to heart failure on Jan. 2, according to his wife Arlene Lieberman. After a career as a lawyer, he left the practice of law in 1963 to become vice president and general counsel of Supermarkets Operating Company, a group of several stores that were part of the ShopRite cooperative chain, according to NJ.com. Four years later, the group left the ShopRite chain under the ownership of Supermarkets General and named its stores Pathmark, which was to become one of the leading supermarkets retail chains in the Northeast. Lieberman would be named president of Supermarkets General in the early 1980s and in 1983 became its chairman and chief executive officer.

By the mid-1980s, SGC had more than 50,000 employees and was among the top 10 largest supermarket chains in the country. In the late 1980s, Lieberman joined the board of Vestar, a portfolio management company.

Following his departure from Supermarkets General, Lieberman was an advocate for cities, particularly the city of Newark, and one of New Jersey's most prominent civic leaders. He was also a donor to arts and education organizations. Recently a gallery at the Newark Museum was dedicated to Lieberman and his wife, Arlene. See story at NJ.com.