Paul Van Ostrand

IN LOVING MEMORY of  PAUL VAN OSTRAND

Paul Van Ostrand, born October 5, 1930, in Portland, Oregon, passed away on October 1, 2025, in Toluca Lake, California. He lived a life characterized by kindness, curiosity, and boundless creativity.

Paul grew up during the Great Depression, raised by a devoted single mother, and demonstrated an early commitment to his family, collecting scrap metal and rubber to help make ends meet. He served honorably in the combat infantry, rank Sergeant First Class, U.S. Armed Forces from April 4, 1951 to January, 1953, earning the Korean Service Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, United Nations Service Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, and a Commendation Ribbon with Pendant.

A chance encounter at the YMCA sparked a lifelong desire for learning. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Art, Industrial Design from the highly regarded ArtCenter College of Design. Paul dedicated his career to a specialized profession he pioneered, Architectural Signage, which merges graphics with building architecture. In the 1950s, he designed the iconic Music Center of Performing Arts logo, which is still visible on their building and website today. In 1963, he founded Vomar Products, a company whose work spans airports (San Francisco Airport) , civic (Clippers Arena-Intuit Dome and SoFi Stadium) and corporate projects (Nike Campus), education (Moorpark College), and healthcare (Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center) . A testament to his enduring spirit of innovation, he invented and patented the first building directory in 1965.

Beyond his professional life, Paul engaged in many social activities. He loved winning at pool, handball, and racquetball, and found solace in sailing for many years.Through his life he adored his pets, Roscoe, Rex, both Jack Russel Terriers and his Greyhounds, Jasmine and Gaston. He was a prolific reader of every genre. Some of his most enthusiastic moments were receiving the final gavel at the many auctions he attended, where he filled his entire house with artistic paintings, relics, and books. He was a masterclass watercolorist but never felt his work was good enough for the public. Later in life, when bad knees limited his mobility, he enjoyed art restoration, painting, reading, writing poetry, completing the morning L.A. Times crossword puzzle and JUMBLE, creating new graphics on his computer, and tinkering around the house with his wife.

Paul is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 30 years, Elena; his four children and their spouses—Susan and Michael Opton, Jason and Keiko Van Ostrand, Debbie and David Carr, Gary Van Ostrand; his grandchildren Ryan, Lesja, Trevor, Sean, Angelica, Miles, and Andrew; and five cherished great-grandchildren—Ashlyn, Brenna, Max, Izzy, and Everly. He leaves behind a legacy of integrity, generosity, and a design philosophy that viewed innovation as a source of solutions.

Paul Van Ostrand will be remembered not only for his accomplishments, patents, and unparalleled design abilities, but for the way he lived—with purpose and a deep sense of responsibility. He lived many chapters in his life, all of which were innovative, full of solutions, and driven. He was an amazing man by any measure and, once you met him, you never forgot him.

Services will be held on October 10, 2025, from 5-6 pm at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Faith Chapel.

In memory of Paul Van Ostrand, may we continue to be inspired by his innovative spirit, his responsibility to family, and his supportive heart.