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Published in the Tucson Star on 6/14/2006. |
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Herbert
Ferrin Bloom 91, native of Tucson, died June 12, 2006. Mr. Bloom
was a second generation of the Bloom family in Tucson. He was
the former owner of Dave Bloom and Sons Men's clothing store, a
U.S. Army WW II veteran having served under General George
Patton, and went into Dachau under his leadership. He was a
longtime member of Rotary International. He was preceded in
death by his wife, Naomi and son, Russell W. Bloom. Survived by
son, Jeffrey F. (Lois A.) Bloom of Tucson; brother, Theodore F.
(Sandy) Bloom of Tucson; sister, Elaine A. Aarons of Denver, CO;
dear friend, Norma P. Gambrell of Tucson; four grandchildren,
Keren, Joseph, Jacob and Andrea. Memorial service will be on
Thursday, June 15, 2006, at 9:00 a.m. EVERGREEN MORTUARY, with
Rabbi Samuel Cohon of Temple Emanu-El officiating. In lieu of
flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the
Tucson Rotary Foundation, 3900 E. Timrod, Tucson, AZ 85711, in
memory of Herbert F. Bloom. Arrangements by EVERGREEN MORTUARY,
CEMETERY & CREMATORY, N. Oracle Rd. & W. Miracle Mile.Herbert Bloom dies; longtime clothier
By Richard Ducote
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.15.2006
Longtime
Tucson clothing retailer Herbert Ferrin Bloom died Monday at age 91.
Herb, Dave and Ted Bloom were the sons in Dave Bloom & Sons, a Tucson institution that started Downtown in 1931 and closed in 1991 after 28 years at El Con Mall.
"Dave Bloom & Sons was a very fine men's furnishings store," said Cele Peterson, another Tucson retailing pioneer. "Herb was a quiet pillar. He was a strong and dedicated very fine young man. I think he was the strength of the store."
The Bloom store was "across the way" from Peterson's El Con store, "and we both did very well," she said. "The Blooms had a very good reputation. It was the place to go for men's clothing. Everybody liked the Bloom brothers, and they were very active in the community."
Founder David W. Bloom, who came to Boston from Lithuania at age 15 in 1894, died in 1956.
He arrived in Tucson in 1906 and landed a job at Steinfeld's Department Store. Later, he went into business with a partner, J. Cress Myers. He started his own store at the corner of East Congress Street and North Sixth Avenue in October 1931, during the Great Depression,
David A. Bloom, Herb's brother, died in 2001 at age 84. Brother Ted Bloom still lives in Tucson. Elaine B. Aarons, his sister, lives in Denver. Herb Bloom's wife, Naomi Bloom, preceded him in death, as did a son, Russell W. Bloom.
Herb Bloom's son, Jeffrey F. Bloom, remembers his father as having a "great sense of humor" and that he was a member of many organizations, including the Rotary Club of Tucson.
Jeffrey Bloom said he worked for a time in the El Con store, which carried one of the largest stocks of Levi's in the Southwest. None of the jeans was visible on the sales floor, however. Customers had to ask for them because "Levi's and work clothes should never be displayed in a fine men's store," he said.
Rabbi Samuel Cohon of Temple Emanu-El said Herb Bloom was an "institution" who lived the history of the Jewish community in the state. His mother, Clara Ferrin, was a co-founder of Temple Emanu-El in 1910. Bloom would tell stories about growing up in the teens and 1920s and everything since, Cohon said. Bloom was "upbeat and energetic, and a very fun guy to be around."
Bloom studied engineering at the University of Arizona but left school to help in the family business, Cohon added.
He served under Gen. George Patton in World War II and was in charge of the motor pool for the 3rd Army, son Jeffrey Bloom said. He helped document Nazi atrocities at Dachau while in the service, he added.
Cohon will officiate at a memorial service today at 9 a.m. at Evergreen Mortuary, 3015 N. Oracle Road.
● Contact reporter Richard Ducote at 573-4178 or rducote@azstarnet.com.