By Dave Eck
Enquirer Contributor

Mr. Krimmer

SILVERTON - To his neighbors, Frank A. Krimmer Sr. was simply known as the tomato man.

Every summer for the last 15 years, a steady stream of people would come to his house to buy plump tomatoes and other vegetables from his massive garden in the side yard. The inevitable story, sometimes lengthy, was a bonus.

Mr. Krimmer died Monday at his Silverton home. He would have turned 89 on Sept. 1.

"His garden was the love of his life," said his wife, Evelyn. "If he couldn't stick his hands in that soil, it would have been the end of him. He couldn't wait to get those tomatoes in the ground."

The garden was once featured on a local television news program.

"He grew everything," his wife said. "Everything he put in the ground would grow like mad."

When he was a boy, Mr. Krimmer's family lived on farms in Cincinnati and Mariemont before settling in Loveland. Agriculture and gardening became an early passion.

He and his first wife, Teresa, married in the late 1930s and moved to Silverton.

A self-taught machinist, Mr. Krimmer worked for the Cincinnati Planer Co. in Oakley for several years. He worked in other machine shops during World War II, eventually ending up at GE Aircraft Engines in Evendale. He retired from GE in 1982.

His first wife died in 1983.

"He just made friends everywhere," his wife said. "Frank always found someone to talk to."

The couple often traveled. "He loved it," Mrs. Krimmer said. "He and I went all over Germany."

In the 1980s, Mr. Krimmer was active in the Silverton Republican Club and once ran for Silverton City Council, losing by nine votes.

He was a member of the Silverton-Kenwood-Madeira Kiwanis for 20 years. He was a member of the Cincinnati Kolping Society and was chairman of the society's Schuetzenfest for two years. He was also a longtime member of the Sycamore Senior Center.

In addition to his wife of 19 years, Mr. Krimmer is survived by two sons, Frank Jr. of Amberley Village, and Joseph of Mount Washington; five daughters, Mary Ritter of Deer Park, Ann Schehr of Sharonville, Linda Meagher of Reading, Barbara Hursh of Anderson Township and Monica Drees of Harrison; a brother, Peter of Union Township, Clermont County; a sister, Marie Kammer of Deerfield Township; 16 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. today at Staley-Crowe Funeral Home, 7140 Plainfield Road, Deer Park. Mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. John the Evangelist Church, 7121 Plainfield Road, Deer Park.

Memorials: The Kira M. Krimmer Medical Expense Fund at any Provident Bank.

E-mail daveck@fuse.net