Obituaries : Carl Bostrom; Professional Model Maker

Carl Bostrom, a model maker for the entertainment industry and a longtime Ventura County resident, has died. He was 47.

Bostrom died May 31 of lung cancer.

Born in Middletown, Conn., in 1948, Bostrom moved to Thousand Oaks with his family in the 1950s. He graduated from Thousand Oaks High School and attended UCLA, where he studied art.

Bostrom’s wife, Valerie, said her husband worked at various companies in Los Angeles, building display models used by architectural firms, movie studios and other businesses.

“Ever since he was little, he was always building little towns, make-believe worlds and other models,” said Valerie Bostrom, a bank teller. “But he had a special passion for building airplanes.”

Valerie Bostrom estimates her husband built more than 150 model airplanes including mini-commercial airliners, fighter jets and other types of aircraft.

Bostrom, who served in Vietnam in the late 1960s, married Valerie in 1989. Bostrom lived in Newbury Park and worked in North Hollywood for Landmark Entertainment, where he built models.

“He was a very good person--kindhearted,” Valerie Bostrom said. “He was really into his kids. He was a great father.”

In addition to his wife and sons, Alan and Ivan, all of Newbury Park, Bostrom is survived by two brothers, Bryan Bostrom of Tulsa, Okla., and Rex Bostrom of Sweet Home, Ore.; a sister, Georgianna Bostrom Himes of Thousand Oaks, and his mother, Irene G. Bostrom of Thousand Oaks.

A memorial service was held at Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary in Thousand Oaks on June 2. Arrangements were under the direction of Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary of Thousand Oaks. At Bostrom’s request, his ashes will be scattered in Vietnam.