Gary Charles "Ozzie" Osburn was born December 28, 1941, to Gladys Alberta Roberts and Robert Derward Osburn in Missoula, Montana. The youngest of four children, Gary and his siblings Robert "Bud" LaVerne, Dixie Lee, and Irene Olivia grew up on an 80-acre ranch where they raised milk cows, sold eggs from their chickens, sold rabbits for meat, and harvested all kinds of grain and clover for hay. At one time his brother Bud had 200 pigs for an FFA project, and Gary and his cousin Maxine learned a lesson about not trying to catch a pigletno matter how cute and pink it waswhen the momma sow was nearby. By the age of 10, Gary drove grain trucks and tractors on the ranch, often accompanied by his pet magpie named Maggie, who would ride on his shoulder. He worked hard alongside his parents and siblings, but loved to get away for some fishing down at Three Mile Creek whenever he could. When Gary was a freshman in high school, his parents moved to Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and purchased the Craft and Hobby Shop on Sherman Avenuealways a favorite place for kids to visit. Gary was first string on the football team every year at CDA High School, worked at a service station pumping gas, and during the summer before his junior year purchased his pride and joya 1952 Super 88 Oldsmobile, which he had repainted a metallic royal blue with extra sparkle. Oh, what a car! He joined the US Navy in 1959, completed basic training in the summer before his senior year, and began active duty right after graduating from high school in 1960. He served on the USS Ticonderoga monitoring weather. After his discharge in June 1962, he served six years in the Navy Reserve. Gary first met Sharon "Sheri" Johnson at the end of his junior year, when he borrowed her pen to sign someones annual but never returned it. Sheri says she had to marry him to get her pen back! Actually, their first meeting was on a blind date, when Garys best friend was dating Sheris best friend, and Gary and Sheri dated nearly all of his senior year. He would visit her on Sunday afternoons, but would always have to go home early because her family had church at 6:00pm. Eventually, he started coming dressed for church, attending regularly with them until leaving for the Navy. While stationed at Treasure Island in San Francisco, Gary decided to look up Sheris church on the base. The first Sunday he went, no one was there except the missionaries. He took the discussions and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 17, 1960, never mentioning it to Sheri until it was a done deal! He later discovered that his sister Irene and her family had joined the faith several years earlier. Gary and Sheri were married in the LDS Idaho Falls Temple on November 29, 1962. They made their first home in Coeur dAlene in a one-bedroom, 10' x 35' mobile homea perfect size for the two of them and their cat, Snoopy. In 1963 they hauled the mobile home to Kent, Washington, where Garys brother Bud helped Gary secure an electrical apprenticeship in the Seattle shipyards. Gary was laid off from work in late 1966, the week before their oldest daughter Lisa was born. He worked construction at Boeings Auburn plant until 1968, when Boeing decided to transfer him to their operation in central Washington. Once Gary and Sheri sold their home in Kent and bought a home in Moses Lake, Boeing decided not to transfer him after all. They moved anyway, and lived in that home for 38 years. During that time Beccie was born in May 1969 and Steven in July 1971. Gary worked at Columbia Industries, a potato processing plant, until 1970, when he and Sheri opened a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Moses Lake. It had a blockbuster opening the week before Mothers Day, and they cooked more than 400 head of chicken! Over time, Gary got a job as a maintenance electrician at the Port of Moses Lake, where he worked for 16 years before he hurt his back and went on disability. In December 2005 Gary and Sheri sold their home in Moses Lake and moved to Meridian, Idaho, to be near family. This turned out to be a good move, as Gary was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma the following spring. Excellent cancer treatments were about 15 minutes from home. He was an active member of the LDS Church. He held positions in Scouting for over 15 years, and served as elders quorum president, high priest group leader and instructor, ward mission leader, Sunday school teacher, and primary teacher. After their move to Meridian, they were warmly welcomed to the LDS Ten Mile Ward, and were later members of the Peregrine Ward. Scouting, camping, and fishing with family were his favorite thingsas was being close enough to see his grandkids often! And last August they traveled to Denver to welcome their first great-grandchild! For the last 25 years Gary lived in almost daily pain and discomfort from a back injury and, during the last 11 years, from cancer. He never complained. Occasionally frustrated that he couldnt do all the things he wanted to, he still took on projects and slowly chipped away at them until they were completed. "Work hard and do what you can," he said. That was his mantra. Gary passed away in Meridian on March 28, 2017, following a brave, 11-year battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert D. Osburn and Gladys Alberta Roberts, brother Robert L. "Bud" Osburn, sister Dixie Lee Weber, and his father-in-law George Dewey Johnson. He is survived by his sister, Irene Potter of East Wenatchee, Washington; Sheri, his sweetheart of 54 years; two daughters, Lisa Osburn Pettit (Richard) of Hailey, Idaho, and Rebecca Osburn Buss (Alan) of Laramie, Wyoming; his son Steven A. Osburn of Boise, Idaho; his mother-in-law LaPriel M. Johnson; eight grandchildrenJarek (Kaylee), Emmalee, Kayla, Olivia, and Corrinne Buss, and Haylee, Joshua, and Rachel Pettitone great-grandson, Aedan Joseph Buss; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Funeral services will be held at the LDS Stake Center, 1985 N Blackcat Rd, Meridian, Idaho on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 11:00 am. Viewing will begin at 10:00am. A Graveside service and burial will be at CDA Memorial Gardens, 7315 N Govt Way, Coeur d Alene, Idaho April 10, 2017 at 11:00 am.

Service Information Visitation Saturday April 8, 2017 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM LDS Stake Center 1985 N. Blackcat Rd. Meridian, ID 83646 Funeral Service Saturday April 8, 2017 11:00 AM LDS Stake Center 1985 N. Blackcat Rd. Meridian, ID 83646