Irene Osborne

Irene Osborne, 87, died Saturday afternoon, Dec. 5, 2015 in her home in Billings, Montana, cared for by sons and daughters; those with her, and those who supported from afar. Irene was born in the middle of May, 1928 on a farm in southwestern Minnesota to Joe and Gertrude (Kerkvliet) Deutz, and shared a home with her parents, brother Virgil, and sisters Mary Jo and Jean. She attended Holy Redeemer Grade School, Marshall High School and St. Catherine's College. She married Coach Bill Osborne in August of 1949 and made their home in Billings after Bill became the first coach/athletic director at Billings Central Catholic High School. They welcomed their first child, Douglas, in 1952. They moved to St. John's University in Collegeville, MN where Bill continued to coach and teach for 6 years, and Irene gave birth to the next 4 children (Pat, Tom, Jeanne, and Catherine). They returned to Billings in 1959 for the duration, where Bill took on a career with Mass Mutual Life Insurance and Irene delivered the final 3 children (Mary, Jan, and Will) for a total of 8 kids. Irene was a life-long learner who took course work in religious studies, office management, personal growth, and women's issues. Along with 66 years of being a homemaker, Irene worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Minneapolis, St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings, Coles Department Store, Billings Sheraton Hotel, and the Big Sky State Games. Irene had a passion for painting and decorating homes, and successfully designed and participated in the building of two of her homes. Irene was known for her ability to organize and get things done with a physical stamina that was legendary. Combined with her intellect and spiritual wisdom, Irene served in several capacities in the Billings Catholic community, from the Newman Center to St. Pius X Catholic Church, and held a position on the Board of Directors for the Montana Association of Churches. Irene's interests included a passion for politics, walking, reading, sewing, decorating, and writing, which included a published poem called Hands, in tribute to her mother. Irene was married to William M. (Bill) Osborne for 53 years, at which point he preceded her in death in 2002. She is the mother of 8 children, grandmother of 20, and great-grandmother of 14 with 2 more on the way: Douglas (Jan) Osborne of Billings and son John (Allison and son Gavin) and daughter Katie (Jim) Shaver; Pat (Kathryn) Osborne of Havre and daughter Lindsay Lorang (Jacob and son Andrew with baby #2 due in January) and son Ben (Angie and daughter Makenzie); Tom (Amy) Osborne of Colorado Springs, CO and daughter Ellie (Cameron) Kuehn and son Ben Haughton; Jeanne Fritz of Colstrip and daughter Kimberly Norris-Scrano (Sal Scrano and children -- Alana Crook, Salvador, Serena & Cecelia), daughter Danielle Norris (Josh Aaseng and children Wyatt and Evelyn), daughter Brandy Riddle (David and baby #1 due in April), and husband Larry Fritz and daughter Melanie Kuether (Dave and son Paul), and daughter Heather Pelaia (Dave and children Alex and Kyra); Catherine (Charles Mark) Johnson of Sheridan, WY and sons Andrew and Charles Nathan; Mary (Michael) Andrews of San Diego, CA and daughter Michelle Metcalf and sons Charles, Michael, and Malcolm; Jan (Doug) Grotz of Anthem, Arizona and son Travis Grotz (Sondra and children Maxwell and Stella) and daughter Lacey (Matt) Spaur; and Will (Tina) Osborne of Coeur d'Alene, ID and daughter Clarabelle Irene. Preceding Irene in death were her parents Joe & Gertrude Deutz, her husband William M. (Bill) Osborne, brother Virgil Deutz, sister-in-law Kathy Kenney, and brothers-in-law John Kenney, Don Eichler, and Fran Dirckx. A Vigil service will be held Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 pm with Memorial Mass Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 11:00 am, both at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow directly after the Memorial Mass in Calvary Cemetery Columbarium. Memorials to St. Pius X Church. Condolences may be shared with the family by visiting dahlfuneralchapel.com. Irene asked that we acknowledge her loving friends Frank Braun and the Wednesday Centering Prayer Group for the spiritual and social nourishment they provided. She was also very thankful to Dr. Charles McClave and Alana Barber for aiding her quality of life. Given the spiritual writer Irene was, it is only fitting to end with her words, "My life was a quest, a yearning, a search for God, for truth and for my true self. In the end, with few answers or certitudes it came down to trust. Trust gave me peace and joy."