Jerome Oxman, 97, who passed away February 22 at his Buena Park home, started a mail-order business at Rosecrans and Valley View Streets in Santa Fe Springs in 1961. Oxman’s Surplus grew into a sprawling military surplus outlet that also became a military museum. Honed by three years of World War II duty on a U.S. Army supply line in Iran, “Mr. O” was an expert at buying items at government auctions.
Oxman started his historical collection in 1950 when he bought a discarded bomb sight for $9.80. Now containing about 1,600 items, the collection includes fighter jet ejection seats, a heat-seeking missile tip, a B-17 cockpit, a 1940s land mine, a pair of “minefield walking shoes” and a funnel-like “fighter pilot relief tube.” The Museum is actually the entrance to the store, and there is no charge to see it.
Oxman was honored on the field at Dodger Stadium for 48 years of Little League Baseball Sponsorship. He gave museum tours to schools, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Young Marines and supported many youth organizations. Oxman was past president of both the La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs Chamber of Commerce, Meals on Wheels, Board of Trustees to the La Mirada Hospital and Associated Surplus Dealers.
Born June 23, 1915, in Duluth, Minnesota, Oxman married Miriam Averbook 1947. The couple came to California on their honeymoon and never went back. In addition to his wife, Oxman’s survivors include his sons Murray, Brian and Jason; sister Rene Oxman; four grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.
Oxman loved his family, his Jewish heritage, his country and every day he spent in his store. The family plans to continue operating Oxman’s Surplus, where a memorial was held on March 24.