J. Gaylord Ortman

J. Gaylord Ortman, 89, passed away peacefully with family by his side on Feb. 20, 2021.

Gaylord was born Dec. 4, 1931, in Hennessey, the only child to Garwood and Hutoka Ortman.

His youth was surrounded by movies and the “Golden age of Hollywood.” The Ortman Theater was run by his mom and dad and was the heartbeat of his small town.

With Gaylord’s demonstrated creative and entrepreneurial spirit throughout his childhood, he headed to the west coast and attended Orange Coast College and ultimately graduated from UCLA with a degree in industrial design.

He was later drafted and served in the U.S. Navy for two years.

As a young artist, he experimented in a variety of modalities including candle making, sketch and pottery.

Eventually it was metal sculpture that would take his heart - much like a beautiful young lady he met at a church youth group in Orange County, Calif.

Gaylord Ortman and Nannette Grace Vanderford were married in 1959.

Gaylord continued to perfect his craft in metal sculpture and supported his family by designing and creating custom pieces for the artwork supplier Peter Pepper.

His art was displayed in brochures and distributed to designers and companies all over the United States. (One of his wall hangings was used in Kevin’s living room in The Wonder Years.)

With little ones (Julie 1962 and Carolyn 1966) taking up more space, he moved the family to Woodcrest, Calif., where the acre in the county gave him space to not only build an art studio, but provide the girls room to run and explore.

This period was filled with traveling around California and displaying his work at mall art shows.

In the 1970’s, Gaylord was enthralled with the new age of recycling and started designing artwork made from tin cans. “Whims in Tins” became an instant hit.

To keep up with demand and spread his forward-thinking vision to more people, he opened Dimension West in Claremont, Calif. As interest continued to grow, he opened a second gallery in Laguna Beach, Calif.

Life was good; Gaylord was living his passion while supporting his family.

Then the recession hit. After closing both galleries, Gaylord decided he would need to step back from art to continue to support his family.

It did not take more than a few years for him to realize he would never fit in to a corporate mold, so he started a sign business. He could exercise his creative muscle while providing a necessary product for consumers.

Gaylord thrived once again and finally retired from his sign making busi ness in 1990.

With the girls off starting their own lives, retirement saw he and Nan traveling around the U.S., making bi-yearly trips to Hennessey to tend to his childhood home.

After Nan’s passing in 2008 Gaylord continued to live on his own until he became a resident of Raincross at Riverside in the memory care center in 2017.

In 2019, his daughter Carolyn coordinated an art show to display his art at a local gallery in downtown Riverside. He once again had the opportunity to share his creative genius with friends, family and the public.

Raincross was his home until he passed from complications due to COVID. He was “feisty” until the end, his caregivers stated.

Despite a lifetime of resiliency at every turn, he finally met his match.

Gaylord is survived by his daughters Julie Ortman (Pamela Ruder) and Carolyn Ortman (Rich Caccese).

If desired, friends may make memorial contributions to AliveInside.org.

A service will be planned for Gaylord in late summer 2021.

The family wishes to extend a sincere appreciation for Dad’s care provided by the dedicated staff at Raincross and an extra “Thank You” to special caregivers Jessie Elliott and Debbie James who always brought Gaylord smiles and laughter and he to them.

Gaylord Ortman was an innovator. A creative visionary. Ahead of his time.

These qualities allowed him to always provide for his family, be a loving husband and an amazing dad to his girls. His stories and creative mind (that never turned off) will be missed.

“If you love what you do, don’t let setbacks detour your passion. Pursue your dreams because you will be the one that make our lives more rewarding. The important people will always be there to cheer you on!” - Gaylord Ortman