It's the kind of story that is quintessentially American: A 16-year-old high school kid takes a part-time job as a stock boy at a local company where work ethic meets passion and in less than 20 years, he's running the place.

That's the tale of Francis "Frank" Zimmerman, a Downtown businessman who spent more than 30 years outfitting Pittsburgh men in high-quality threads as owner of the Kountz & Rider menswear store. The Fox Chapel resident ­-- recognized for his sartorial boldness and superior customer service -- died Monday at age 69 after a brief illness.

His wife of 22 years, Carol Satterfield Zimmerman, said her husband's star-aligned association with Kountz & Rider began in 1956, when Mr. Zimmerman was hired as the clothing store's third employee. He worked summers, holidays, weekends: the kind of schedule associated with mostly forgettable high school jobs.

But Mr. Zimmerman never forgot the pleasure of independent retailing; he graduated from Wilkinsburg High School and enrolled at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe only to drop out before graduating to work at Kountz & Rider full-time.

"Back in the 1950s and '60s, retailing was a very personalized business," said Ms. Zimmerman. "He always said how he got to meet a lot of wonderful people."

Mr. Zimmerman took on more responsibilities as management shuffled around, eventually becoming owner in 1975 after buying the business from the Kountz estate. He moved the store in 1996 from Walnut Street in Shadyside to its Downtown location at One Oxford Centre.

Mr. Zimmerman became a one-man band, working on the floor and behind the scenes. He even recorded radio advertisements that would become a trademark thanks to his "deep and husky" voice, said promo co-author Mrs. Zimmerman. Together, they'd compose catchy jingles and poems for the store's radio spots.

"When customers heard him talking, they'd say, 'That must be the man who does your radio ads,' " said Mrs. Zimmerman. Her husband's accessibility to patrons didn't lead many to assume he was the store's owner, though it's difficult to name any other position that permits a wardrobe of pattern pants paired with striped shirts.

Mr. Zimmerman's style matched the store's super-preppy aesthetic, selling ties with classic stripes and cashmere sweaters available in pastels that require self-confidence but bestow fashion fearlessness.

Of course, Mr. Zimmerman could go casual, traveling with his family to away games for the University of Pittsburgh basketball team or attending a grandchild's T-ball game.

Under Mr. Zimmerman's leadership, Kountz & Rider at one time employed 40 people. Some worked more than 20 years at the store, some were just seasonal help, but all showed a loyalty toward Mr. Zimmerman, who treated his staff "like a big extended family," Mrs. Zimmerman said.

Mr. Zimmerman was preceded in death by a stepson, David Reynolds. In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters Tracey Goodrich, Kristen Dowd, Tammy Stuart and Megan Georges; step-children James Reynolds, Barbara Fedorchak and Kie Seiple; six grandchildren and seven step-grandchildren.

Friends will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today at John A. Freyvogel Sons Inc., 4900 Centre Ave. at Devonshire Street. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart Church on 310 Shady Ave. in Shadyside. The family asks everyone to gather at the church. Interment will be private.

The family suggests contributions to the Bradley Center, a children's treatment facility, at 5180 Campbells Run Road, Pittsburgh, 15205.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.