The business grew into one of the nation's largest distributors of office furniture and supplies, with a landmark store in the 1500 block of Chestnut Street. Mr. Pomerantz served as company treasurer and supervised a printing division, which had a shop in Kensington.
The eldest of the brothers, Richard, ran the company after their father, a Russian immigrant, died in 1942. The youngest, Lester, took over in the 1960s and oversaw day-to-day operations until 1982, when he was killed in an automobile accident in Yugoslavia. Richard Pomerantz died in 1993.
Mr. Pomerantz's interests extended beyond the business. At one time in his life, he was a chemist; most of his life, he was a photographer.
After graduating from Germantown High School in 1930, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a doctorate in chemistry in 1939. He spent four years in the pharmaceutical business before joining his brothers in the company.
Photography was his true passion. He particularly enjoyed taking black-and-white landscape photographs of Long Beach Island in New Jersey, where he kept a summer home.
After the family sold the company in 1983 - it remains in operation under the family name - Mr. Pomerantz retired, spending as much time as he could chasing flounder and bluefish in Barnegat Bay.
Mr. Pomerantz is survived by a son, Andrew; daughters Sally Martin and Susan Pomerantz; and four grandchildren. His wife of 50 years, Paula, died in 1995.
Services and burial were private.
Contributions may be made to the National Parkinson's Foundation, 1510 N.W. Ninth Ave., Miami, Fla. 33136.
Rusty Pray's e-mail address is rpray@phillynews.com
