Obituary of Jay Ordman
Jay Ordman, age 72, of San Francisco, formerly of Lockport, Chicago, and Los Angeles, passed away Saturday, January 18, 2025, at San Francisco General Hospital with family and friends by his side.
Born July 23, 1952, in Joliet, Illinois, he was the son of the late Ralph and Helen (Koetz) Ordman and was a graduate of Lockport Central High School. Jay then pursued a degree in English from Elmhurst College, did his student teaching at Joliet West High School, and graduated in 1974. In 1980, he left Chicago and moved across the country to California. He resided in San Francisco for 5 years then moved to Los Angeles. In 1990, he returned to his beloved San Francisco where he remained for the next 35 years.
Jay will be remembered as a lover of books, good conversation, and all movies. A great admirer of the Academy Awards, he could talk for hours about cinema - the production of movies as art. He loved antiques, museum art exhibits, and had a keen interest in architecture, particularly the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright. A gifted conversationalist, Jay could talk your ear off about almost everything, especially his politics. No one could match Jay when it came to Trivial Pursuit.
Jay’s dear friend, Joey Cain, remembers him:
“Dressed in style and with his trademark hats, Jay was a beloved figure of the Haight Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco where he lived. He was a decades-long attendee of the "City Arts and Lecture" series which presented major authors in conversation. It fed his love for and the collecting of contemporary, signed, first editions. He also had an extensive knowledge of American film and its history and productions.”
Surviving are his siblings, Ava Ordman of Lansing, MI, Lana (Wayne Fetman) Ordman of Chicago, Paula Ordman of Chicago, and Jackie Ordman Russo of Berwyn, IL. He was the beloved uncle of Sara Russo of Chicago and Michael Russo, who is presently working on his PhD in Newcastle, England. Jay is also survived by his uncle and aunt David and Donna Koetz and many cousins from both sides of his family. Jay will be greatly missed by his close friends Joey Cain of San Francisco, Jim Morrison of Sacramento (formerly of Lockport), and Graeme Whiffler of Los Angeles along with Haight Ashbury neighborhood business operators, Amal and Gabrial.
Jay was preceded in death by his father, Ralph Ordman (1983); mother, Helen Ordman (2020); and brother, Mark Ordman (2006).
Funeral services for Jay Ordman will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2025, at the Joliet Jewish Congregation, 250 N. Midland Avenue, Joliet where all friends and relatives can gather from 12:30 p.m. until services begin at 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Mt. Moriah Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jay’s name can be made by check to Friends of City Arts and Lectures, 333 Hayes St, Suite 202, San Francisco, CA 94102 or made electronically via https://www.cityarts.net/donate/. Donations can also be made to Prisoners Literature Project, which sends tens of thousands of free books to incarcerated folks all over the U.S. every year, can be made electronically via https://www.prisonlit.org or by check made payable to the Prisoners Literature Project, and mailed to Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117.
For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit his Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave a condolence.
