Longtime Florida Dealer Passes Away

Longtime automobile dealer and civic leader Vic Osman died today, following a battle with cancer, reported Florida Today.

The 84-year-old Osman, who moved to Brevard County in 1972 from the Indian River County area to start a Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Melbourne, is survived by his wife, Judi, of 31 years and five children.

Osman was a well-known businessman in the area, the son of an Albanian restaurant owner from upstate New York who learned the auto business from scratch. He was able to grow his dealership portfolio to include operations in other cities in Florida, as well as Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

His son, Perry Osman, said he was father was just as passionate about cars as he was about giving back to the communiy.

"He was interested in a lot of civic organizations and he helped with many charities," Perry Osman said.

Vic sold the Melbourne dealership to sons Perry and Paul in 1989. By 2009, he had sold the interest in all of his dealerships and headed into retirement.

"Cars were in his blood," Perry Osman said. "Ever since he was a kid, he was involved with cars in some way. He started buying cars, fixing them and selling them. He became a car salesman, then a general manager and then became a dealer."

Melbourne lawyer Philip Nohrr, along with his brother, Don, also a lawyer, were good friends with Osman from the time he moved to Brevard. Philip Nohrr said Osman was one of those successful businessmen who cared deeply about the community where he lived.

"First and foremost, Vic was a wonderful family man and a successful businessman," Nohrr said. "And he certainly gave back to the community."

Osman's funeral will be on Monday, though the time hasn't yet been announced.