Jim Osterman Dies at 51
Third-generation textile industry executive Jim Osterman died on Jan. 10 after suffering a heart attack. He was 51.
Osterman was an independent sales representative for Linen L.A./Osterman Textiles and an active member of the Textile Association of Los Angeles (TALA), on whose board he served as parliamentarian, director, vice president and, most recently, treasurer.
Hal Kaltman, owner of Hal Kaltman Textiles and president of TALA, said: “I personally have lost a friend, and TALA has lost a tremendous supporter and one of the finest treasurers we have ever had. He will be missed.”
A Los Angeles native, Osterman attended high school at Hamilton High School and college at California State University, Northridge and the College of Marin.
Well-liked for his sense of humor and friendly demeanor, Osterman got his first job in the industry working with his father, Robert, and grandfather, Aaron, at Henry Glass & Co./Peter Pan Fabrics, where he met Robert Seaman, now a representative for Q.S.T. Industries.
“He was a good friend of everybody in the industry,” Seaman said. “He will be missed as a friend and as a textile rep.”
Osterman briefly left the textile industry to work as a stockbroker but eventually returned to the business, first returning to Henry Glass and then launching his own business as an independent sales representative.
Longtime personal friend Peter Arkin met Osterman through their parents and had been friends for more than 45 years. In recent years, they met every Saturday to play racquetball.
“He was full of life,” Arkin said. “Put him in a room full of strangers and in five minutes he knew everyone.”
Longtime textile sales executive Mara Kasper met Osterman in the early 1980s and worked with him at Henry Glass. Always quick with a compliment or an encouraging word, Osterman was “super personable,” Kasper said.
“He was a friend you could rely on,” she said. “I feel like I lost a brother.”
He also had quick wit and great comic timing, Kasper added.
“He had a great sense of humor,” she said. “I would go to work some days and laugh all day long.”
Osterman was a sailor, a gardener and a fan of vintage cars, Kasper said. He was also a musician who played keyboards and guitar by ear and loved attending rock concerts.
Osterman is survived by his wife, Ronnie; his son, Jody; his daughter, Alyson; his sister, Kathie Rose; and his mother, Sally Osterman. His father and his brother, Andy, predeceased him.
Services are scheduled for Jan. 16 at the Hillside Memorial Park in West Los Angeles. —Alison A. Nieder
