Obituary of Alice Jane Osborne

Alice Jane Osborne Alice Jane Osborne passed away peacefully in Olympia, Washington on December 6, 2011 at the age of 94. She was born in Minot, North Dakota to Frank and Mary Julianna Yeagle on July 22, 1917. She grew up and attended school in the Dakotas, receiving a degree in Classics from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1939. Alice was adventurous: when she finished college, she applied for teaching jobs in Alaska and Saudi Arabia. Alaska offered her a job, and so she flew to Nome, Alaska in 1942 under wartime conditions. She met her husband-to-be Gordon Osborne there, but they weren’t allowed to marry until the war ended. She and Oz made homes in Nome, Kotzebue, Barrow, Fairbanks and Delta Junction over their years together in Alaska. Alice taught school from elementary to high school but primarily taught business, English, and Latin. Once she and Oz moved to Fairbanks, she also became the advisor for Lathrop High School’s newspaper, The Paystreak and served as Lathrop’s English department head when Lathrop and West Valley split. Alice also briefly wrote a column on parenting for the Fairbanks paper, the Daily News-Miner. Once she and Oz retired, they moved to Sequim, Washington. Alice loved gardening, and created beautiful yards in her homes in Washington. She continued her love of writing as well; she was a member of Alaska Press Women and the National Federation of Press Women, she wrote a column for the Peninsula Daily News, she belonged to several writing groups, and she published a book about her adventures in Alaska, Alice Osborne’s Alaska. Alice’s fondness for travel to distant places led her on trips to Australia and New Zealand, Germany, Italy and Greece. She also volunteered for the Humane Society and tutored for the Sequim schools. Oz passed on in 1985, and Alice moved to Panorama City to be near family. She volunteered with their annual garden show and helped produce their newsletter. After a series of heart attacks, she moved to Mother Joseph Care Center, where she lived until her death. She is survived by her daughter Sandra Madsen and her grandchildren Bjorn and Leif. Please leave memories of Alice or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.