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Ferdinand Pointer Obituary
owner, The Piano Company of Pinellas, died peacefully January 3, 2025 in Clearwater, with family by his side. Ferdinand was born in Alabama to Charles and Bettie Pointer and is survived by wife, Linda Walker Pointer; sister, Martha Blue; stepchildren, Virginia and Russell Walker; granddaughters, Brenda Ausman and Maura Reed, and his many Phinizy family relatives. He attended the University of Alabama as a vocal music major, and worked for over fifty years as a much-respected piano technician and long-time RPT member of the Piano Technicians Guild. Memorial service is 11 am Saturday, January 25, Prince of Peace Lutheran, 455 Missouri, Largo.
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Memories and Condolences
for Ferdinand Pointer
2 Entries
Alexander Doss
June 23, 2025
Years ago, when I was launching my career in earnest as a Piano technician, I learned many things about the vertical piano action from working with Ferdinand in his shop. This experience came as a result of one of my own clients, whose childhood piano, a Kimball Artist Series Console, had been purposefully ruined/vandalized in a tumultuous domestic conflict. The action had broken, missing and otherwise damaged parts. At this time, the amount and scope of work was out of my range of knowledge and confidence, and so I turned to one of the few people I knew, who not only could handle the job, but also share a little of his wealth of knowledge This was one of the most important milestones for me as a piano technician, and I will always be grateful for having the opportunity to get to know him in the Guild meetings and learn side by side.
While in his shop and also at his home, I got to see some of the fantastic rebuilds that were in process. The Golden Era pianos - especially the uprights - have the capacity to simulate a concert hall effect, yet fit up against the wall in one's own home. The experience at his shop laid a large part of the foundation for my own work in overhauling and restoring these pianos, which includes the piano in my family's own living room now.
He will be missed greatly.
Kurt Richter
March 28, 2025
Just hearing about this now. Ferdinand was a great man and an asset to the local arts. My mom, Elena Richter, loved "Ferdy", and used and recommended him exclusively for piano work throughout the area. He and his decades of experience will be sorely missed
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