When Frank Zimmerman was asked to solve a clothing problem that involved one of his customers, he went out of his way to help.
"On one occasion, Frank received a call from a customer who had just been released from the hospital," said his wife, Carol Zimmerman. "His customer had lost a lot of weight, but needed to wear his suit to an affair that he was attending.
"Frank went to the man's home, made the required measurements and returned to the store to make the alterations. He returned to the man's home in time and never charged for this service."
Francis J. "Frank" Zimmerman of Fox Chapel, owner of Kountz & Rider in One Oxford Centre, Downtown, died following a brief illness on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in West Penn Hospital, Bloomfield. He was 69.
His daughter, Megan Georges of Oakmont, said her father got his start in the clothing business as a teenager attending Wilkinsburg High School.
"Dad worked in the stockroom at Kountz & Rider when they were located in Shadyside," Georges said. "Once Dad returned to Pittsburgh in the early 1960s, after attending St. Vincent College near Latrobe, he once again began working for Kountz & Rider."
In 1975, Mr. Zimmerman bought the business. He moved it in 1996 from Walnut Street in Shadyside to Downtown.
Carol Zimmerman recalled the qualities that made her husband a successful businessman.
"Frank had that personal touch that his customers and also his friends enjoyed," said Mrs. Zimmerman, who married him in 1987. "He understood the business and what was required. Many of his customers from Walnut Street followed him to the Oxford Centre."
Mrs. Zimmerman said her husband's sense of humor was evident in his radio commercials on KQV. "When Frank would give 10 reasons for buying from his store, the sixth one might be, 'I need the money.'
"I'd help him write the ads," she said. "We had a great time doing them."
Mr. Zimmerman was known for his charitable endeavors.
"Frank was supportive of the Bradley Center in Robinson, a nonprofit organization that reaches out to adolescent children with mental health disorders," said his wife.
In addition to his wife and daughter Megan, Mr. Zimmerman is survived by his daughters, Tracey Goodrich of Maryland, Kristen Dowd of Fox Chapel and Tammy Stuart of Michigan; and six grandchildren.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. today at John A. Freyvogel Sons Inc., 4900 Centre Ave. at Devonshire Street, Oakland.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Church, Shadyside. Interment is private.
