WATERLOO - The man who turned a few mobile flower shops into a nationwide floral franchise and ran the company up to his last day died on Tuesday.

Maurice "Mose" Frink, 85, was described as a caring entrepreneur by family and co-workers.

"He came into work, still, every day. He was active up to the end," said Bob Whitt, marketing director of Flowerama, the Waterloo-based company that Frink founded with his late brother, Herbert, in the 1970s.

They were born into the flower business. His father, Warren, founded Rainbow Florists & Greenhouse, which now is owned by Rich Frink, Maurice's nephew. Prior to owning Flowerama, Herbert and Maurice Frink owned Frink's Greenhouse.

"If you looked up the word 'entrepreneur,' he'd be there," said Rich. "He built that thing from the ground up. The Flowerama idea got started as they were selling plants to local grocers and lend their expertise."

Flowerama became a major presence in the floral business in the 1990s after abandoning its mall stores and converting the company into free-standing shops. It quickly became one of the nation's top franchisers, according to professional journals.

"He was pretty proud of it, going from the meager beginnings with a few mobile merchandisers to a corporate franchiser," said Whitt.

Yet Whitt said Frink maintained the family atmosphere of Flowerama even as the company grew to nearly 100 stores in 27 states.

"He spoke to everyone and new everyone's name. He always treated this like a family instead of a fair-sized corporation, and he was head of the family," said Whitt.

Frink was a graduate of West High School and had served with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He helped the Boy Scouts of America for many years with horticultural projects and was a member of the Society of Iowa Florists and Society of American Florists.

"I said to him one time, 'Mose, when are you going to retire?'" Rich recalled. "He said, 'My dad worked until the day he died. If it was good enough for him, it's good enough for me.'"

Whitt said the company will continue to thrive without its leader.

"We'll go on. Nothing will change," said Whitt. "Our management is still in place. We'll continue as we always have."