When Kimberly George of Lower Burrell and her dog, Bean, died in a house fire Wednesday night, her mother and husband said they lost their best friend.
A state police fire marshal and Lower Burrell police are investigating the cause of the blaze at Kinloch home of George, 50, and her husband, Jack George, that started in a back bedroom.
Although firefighters were able to knock down the fire quickly, George was found in the home and died shortly after arriving at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison.
“She loved the beach and The Rolling Stones,” said her mother, Sharyn Bowser of Fawn. They had tickets for an upcoming show.
“We had our weekly Saturday things we did together,” Bowser said. “Shopping or going out for dinner. Our thing was that no matter what, we went for a good coffee.”
She was close to her family and especially enjoyed traveling. She would visit her parents in Florida where she would also meet with her brother, Tom Bowser, and niece, Meagan Bowser, of Merced, Calif.
George was a 1989 graduate of Highlands High School and earned a bachelor’s of science in business from Robert Morris University. She worked for BNY Mellon for 28 years in various positions.
“She got along with everybody,” Bowser said. “She had a really good sense of humor.”
George’s husband, Jack, agreed: “Everybody loved her. She loved animals and was super friendly. Just a dynamite person.”
The couple owned the Lower Burrell bar, Just JAKS, an acronym incorporating parts of their first name.
Jack George was working when the fire swept through the couple’s home. He works nights, she worked days.
“I don’t what could have possibly happened,” he said. “I want to hear what happened from the investigation more than anyone.
“I lost everything — my best friend, my soulmate, my dog, and my house in 30 minutes,” George said.
The family will hold a celebration of life ceremony, open to the public, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18 at Just JAKS, 199 Broadway Ave., in Lower Burrell’s Kinloch neighborhood.
