Obituary: Osborn, Robert Olen
Age 88
He is survived by his wife Mary (Papais) Osborn; his children Kathy (Steve) Morton, Michelle Osborn (Bruce Hemingway), Jackie Osborn (Roy) Klein, and Tracy (Wally) Wilson; his twin brother William Osborn; his six grandchildren and their spouses; his seven great-grandchildren; and his numerous nieces and nephews.
Robert was preceded in death by his father, Eugene Olen Osborn; his mother, Etta May Osborn; and his half brother, Donald Osborn.
Robert was born on November 29, 1924 in Spokane, Washington.
He grew up on the family farm near Hartline, enjoyed athletics and outdoor pursuits, and learned wheat farming from his father and grandfather.
He graduated from Hartline High School in 1942, and attended Washington State University for a semester before enlisting in the U. S. Navy during World War II.
He entered into active duty in 1943, and along with his brother, served aboard the USS Howard W. Gilmore as a fire control man from 1944 - 1946.
Both Robert and his brother moved to Sacramento, California to be near their mother after their service in WWII.
Robert attended Sacramento State College, played baseball on the college team, and graduated with a B.A.
in Education in 1950.
Robert met the love of his life, Mary Jane Papais, while attending college; they were married in Sacramento in 1950.
Throughout the next decade, he taught at two area junior high schools, where he also coached baseball and basketball, and served as Vice Principal.
In 1960 Robert and Mary moved their family to Hartline, where they raised their daughters, and Robert farmed until his retirement in 1989.
Robert was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Big Bend Golf Club, the Howard W. Gilmore Memorial Association, Central Washington Grain Growers, Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Elks Lodge.
He coached the Almira High School Girls’ Basketball team in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and served as a member and president of the Hartline School Board in the 1960s.
Robert enjoyed a variety of special interests throughout his life.
He delighted in taking photographs and sharing them with family and friends.
He loved Big Band music and dancing the Foxtrot, Jitterbug, and Swing with Mary.
Over the years Robert played recreational league baseball, basketball, bowling, and golf.
He hunted with family friends when younger, and learned woodworking after he retired.
He liked to travel, read, play cards and games, and visit with friends.
Robert was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather; more than anything else, he loved spending time with his family.
Services for Robert will be held Friday, September 6, 2013, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hartline, 3:30 PM Visitation and 5 PM Rosary; and Saturday, September 7, 2013, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wilbur, 11 AM Funeral Mass, and 3 PM Burial at the Hartline Cemetery.
In honor of Robert’s life, the family suggests memorials to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hartline, the Hartline Cemetery District, or a charity of your choice.
Please visit the online guest book to share your thoughts and memories with Robert’s family: www.stratefuneralhome.com