Grace Laverne Osborn (nee Jones), age 95, of Broomfield Colorado, passed away in Dallas, Texas, January 24, 2023, after a short hospital stay with family by her side. She was born in Gaar’s Mill, Louisiana, on March 6, 1927, to James Osey Jones and Rosa Belle Jones (nee Warner).
Grace was raised in Gaar’s Mill with her three older sisters. They lived off the land in a remote one-room cabin with a porch down a long winding dirt road in the piney woods of North Central Louisiana. Life was difficult for her single mother, left to raise four daughters under the age of seven, when her husband succumbed to sepsis months after a plowing accident when Grace was just 2 months old.
They ate what they grew and canned for winter. Water was from a well. Warmth was a fireplace.
Despite the hardship, Grace focused on education and graduated from Gaar’s Mill School in Winn Parish, Louisiana, as valedictorian at 16 years old, where the Gaar’s Mill school outhouse is a historical landmark in Winn Parish to this day.
From there, she went to college at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and graduated with a degree in Business Accounting. Rumor has it she was a popular student and turned away several suitors to focus on her studies. She moved to Dallas, Texas, and began working as an assistant to Haggar Clothing Company among others.
She met the love of her life, Richard Lee Osborn, on a blind date. After a brief courtship, they were married on July 16, 1949, in Dallas, Texas, and were blessed with a long, loving 66 year marriage. After Richard completed his law degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, she retired from her working life to become a fulltime housewife and mother.
She and Richard lived in Dallas, Tyler, and Midland, Texas, before settling in Broomfield, Colorado, in 1968 where they stayed for the remainder of their lives. Upon retirement, she and Richard travelled back and forth from Colorado to Winnfield, Louisiana, frequently to help care for her beloved mother Rosa Belle Jones, her Aunt Mary Lou Warner and her Uncle Ira Warner, and to visit with her sisters and their growing families. They also spent time at their cabin in Silverthorne, Colorado, with friends and family, often with their best friends Treva and George Hotter of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Grace is preceded in death by her husband, Richard Lee Osborn, and her sister Velma Hazel Gaar (nee Jones) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
She is survived by her sisters Lurania Elois Folkes (nee Jones) of Dallas, Texas, and Margaret Eileen Thomas (nee Jones) of Sarepta, Louisiana; her four children, Richard Vincent Osborn (Victoria) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Victoria Louise Perry (Robert) of Carrollton, Texas, James Robert Osborn of Arvada, Colorado, and John William Osborn of Dallas, Texas; six grandchildren: Eric Santos of Colorado Springs, Colorado, James Robert Osborn, Jr. (Tracie) of LaJunta, Colorado, Dustin Dillon Osborn, Jr. (Courtney) of Arvada, Colorado, Richard Zachary Osborn of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Joshua Lee Osborn of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Kyle Richard Osborn (Sarah) of Lafayette, Colorado; and her 9 great-grandchildren, Kourtnei Monique Osborn, Kamryn Mariah Osborn, Kendyl Marie Osborn, Hudson David Osborn, Beckett Lee Osborn, Kaelani Madison Osborn, Ivy Jane Osborn, Louisa Jo Osborn, and Oliver Jacob.
A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 2:00 pm at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home in the Bill Sparkman Memorial Chapel, 7405 West Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas, 75225. A private interment will be at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to the National Diabetes Foundation or some similar organization that touches your heart.
In honor of our dear, sweet mother Grace Laverne Jones, aka Mom, Grandma, Sister, Wife, Daughter, Great Grandma, and Friend.
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