Jack Foreman; Retired Car Dealer

Jack Foreman, a longtime San Fernando Valley car dealer, has died at Studio City Convalescent Hospital. He was 74.

A Sherman Oaks resident, Foreman died Friday of complications of Alzheimer’s disease, said his daughter Sydelle Foreman of Woodland Hills.

Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Foreman was raised at Vista Del Mar Orphanage in Los Angeles, where he met Ruth Zerobnick, who would later become his wife. During World War II, Foreman served as a physical therapist in the U. S. Navy and returned to California after he was discharged. In 1953, he and his business partner, Gene Klein, opened a Volkswagen/Porsche dealership in Van Nuys that later evolved into Klein-Foreman Honda. Foreman bought out Klein in the mid-1970s and retired in 1981. Foreman Honda is now operated by Foreman’s children.

Foreman was active with B’nai B’rith Honor Lodge, which helped found the Boys Club of Pacoima. He was a founding member of Valley Beth Shalom temple in Encino and the El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana. He also initiated a college scholarship program at the orphanage where he grew up. In the 1970s and 1980s, Foreman was a minority owner of the San Diego Chargers.

In addition to his daughter, Foreman is survived by his wife of 52 years, Ruth Foreman; son Marc Foreman of Woodland Hills, and two grandsons.

A funeral was held Monday with interment at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills. Groman-Eden Mortuary handled the arrangements. Donations can be made in Foreman’s name to an organization benefiting Alzheimer’s disease research.