Esther Lois Osborn

Esther was born on May 15, 1926 in Waterloo, Iowa, to her parents, Dolothy and John Lotticha There were four busy children growing up in their home on Logan Avenue. Her brother Evan, 95, and her sister Shirley, 92, preceded Esther in death. She is survived by her youngest brother Dale, 89, who still resides in Waterloo, with his wife, Marilyn.

Esther married the man of her dreams, Kenneth William Osborn, on August 9, 1952 in Waterloo, Iowa. They shared 66 years of marriage, and were only separated by his passing in 2019. The couple have two children, Susan Topolski (Chris) and David Osborn (Terry) who have been blessed to have their parents in their lives for so many years, As their family grew in size, Esther and Ken enjoyed hosting the family holidays in their home in Omaha, Nebraska, and later in their home in Fort Collins, Colorado.

She and Ken were amazing grandparents to Susan's three children, Dan, Kristina, and Jeff, and moved from Nebraska to Colorado to be close to the family in 1995. Esther and Ken helped in the raising of the grandchildren while both Sue and Chris were working, and were always a part of family activities and events.

Esther enjoyed teaching the grandkids about sewing, playing the organ, and even how to ride a bike. She was an excellent seamstress, a skill she learned from her mother growing up, and enjoyed sewing Halloween costumes for the grandchildren while they were young. In later years she sewed bright and colorful outfits for Dan's birthday celebrations, and costumes for the students in Kristina's many school music programs.

Esther and Ken loved spending time with their grandkids, and could always be counted on to be present for their many celebrations, music programs, band concerts, sporting events, and other activities. Their children and grandchildren grew up with lots of hugs, Rice Krispie treats, and outings to parks and zoos. Fun could always be had roller skating in the basement, slip and sliding in the yard, or playing pool in their home. Esther made sure everyone always knew how much they were loved, and the children never made it out of the house without some sound advice, a smile, and a hug.

Esther worked at Rath Packing Company as a secretary in Waterloo, Iowa. Once she and Ken were married they spent a few years in Waterloo before moving to Omaha, Nebraska with their two young children. In Omaha Esther was employed as a seamstress working on sequined ball gowns at Topps. In their free time, Esther and Ken enjoyed square dancing in the matching outfits she would sew. They also enjoyed bowling in leagues, or they might have been found on the golf course on a sunny day. She also was an avid bird watcher, and especially enjoyed the cardinals that were abundant back in Omaha.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband, Ken. She is survived by her daughter, Susan, her son David, and her three grandchildren. Dan, 40, Kristina, 37, and Jeff, 32. Dan and his wife Kristin have a darling 5 month old son, Jasper, and live in Fort Collins. Kristina is an elementary Music teacher, and lives in the Denver area. Jeff and his fiancé, Peyton, live in Los Angeles, California with their Westie, Bailey.

Esther and Ken's son David, lives in Omaha with his wife, Terry. David has owned several bookstores, and enjoys searching for old sheet music and records as well as locating rare and valuable books to sell. Terry is a former elementary school librarian, and recently visited her new grandson in Australia. Esther and Ken's daughter, Susan, and her husband, Chris, live in Fort Collins. Susan is a former kindergarten teacher, and is looking forward to watching her first grandbaby grow up. Chris is a test engineer at Micron and an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

Esther lived a rich and full life, and she will be remembered as a loving and devoted wife, a mother that was always there for her children, and a nurturing and fun grandma. Her never ending love and support, sense of humor, and endless supply of hugs will be forever cherished by her family. Memories of Esther in stories shared will be a constant reminder of the blessing she was to all who were fortunate enough to know and love her.