Betty Leatherwood Osburne

Visitation for Betty Leatherwood Osburne, 96, will be held on March 28, 2026, at 11:00 am with a memorial service following at 11:30 am at Riverchase United Methodist Church, 1953 Old Montgomery Hwy, Birmingham, AL. A private burial will be conducted prior to the visitation. Officiating the services will be Reverend Nancy Harper.

Betty was born on September 22, 1929 and passed away on February 28, 2026, in Orlando, FL. Betty was predeceased by her parents, Mr. And Mrs. Paul Leatherwood, her loving husband of 60 years, Earle J. Osburne, Jr., and her sister, Claryce House. She is survived by sons Eric A. Osburne, wife Ginger, and Timothy D. Osburne, wife Debra; granddaughters Erica Osburne and Amanda Osburne Delaup; great-granddaughters Claire Delaup and Davi Delaup; and several nieces and nephews.

Betty was active in many civic and service organizations. She served on the first Hoover Parks and Recreation Board. She was president of the Green Valley Garden Club and charter member of the Green Valley Baptist Church, later joining Riverchase United Methodist Church. Betty retired in 1989 as Court Administrator/Chief Probation Officer of the Family Court of Jefferson County. During her leadership as Chief Probation Officer and Court Administrator, she was selected by the National Labor Relations Board as a recipient of the Lewis Hines Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children and Youth. She started the first CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program at Family Court. Betty successfully obtained federal funds to begin the first drug testing program of juveniles at the court and treatment programs to assist juveniles with drug problems.

She served on the Boards of the United Methodist Children’s Home, Jefferson County Mental Health Association and Glenwood Mental Health Association. She is a former president of the Birmingham chapter of the American Society for Training and Development and was an officer of Zonta Women's Professional Group.

Betty was the first female to receive a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She graduated magna cum laude with a major in Psychology from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, Louisiana (now ULM). She taught Criminal Justice at the University of Montevallo, Alabama for seven years.

In her retirement years, she continued to serve as a volunteer in community causes and her church. Betty was an avid University of Alabama fan and seldom missed watching a Crimson Tide game. Her two beautiful granddaughters and two great-granddaughters were the pride of her life. Betty moved to Orlando in her later years to be closer to her son Tim and DIL Debbie.

Flowers can be sent to the Riverchase United Methodist Church prior to the memorial service.

Memorial donations in Betty’s memory may be made to :

Riverchase United Methodist Church, 1953 Old Montgomery Hwy, Birmingham, AL 35244 - www.riverchaseumc.org, and/or

Big Oak Ranch Children’s Home, 6000 Shelley Dr., Springfield, AL 35146 – www.bigoak.org.