Shirley Marie Osborne, 86, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at Franciscan Health Center in Duluth, Minnesota. Everyone who knew her loved her, and perhaps more impressively, she loved everyone she knew.

Shirley was born in Thief River Falls on March 28, 1935 to Edwin and Mabel (Moe) Anderson. She was the doting oldest sibling of one sister and three brothers. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1952.

Shirley graduated from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in Duluth in 1955. She was the highest-ranking scholastic student in her class, and she was chosen by her faculty and classmates for the outstanding senior award. Shirley served her community as a registered nurse for 45 years, most of those at Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake. She especially cherished her time as a labor and delivery nurse teaching prenatal classes and
welcoming hundreds of babies into the world. After retiring, she continued to serve new mothers by volunteering as a mentor for the Carlton County Partners in Parenting Program.

During a nursing school rotation in Moose Lake, Shirley met a Mahtowa boy, Ronald Osborne, whose charisma and sweet smile charmed her into a date at a local diner. The two were married on June 30th, 1956. They were blessed with fifty-two years of marriage, four children, fifteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, as well as multiple foster children and foreign exchange students.

Shirley was known for her skillful and gracious hosting of large extended family meals. She was always ready to feed whomever arrived at her door, unexpected but ever-welcome, at dinnertime. Shirley enjoyed gardening, quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking, playing clarinet in the Moose Lake Community Band, serving as a Cub Scout den mother, volunteering for the Carlton County Fair, and traveling the world with her husband to visit their family and former foreign exchange students. She was an active, beloved member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Barnum.

Throughout the twenty years that she lived with Parkinson's disease, Shirley never lost her love for life. Her strong sense of gratitude and unwavering faith in God made her resilient. When she realized that she could no longer live at home, with her chin up she told us, "Bloom where you are planted." And she certainly did.

We will remember our mother and grandmother with each seed sown in our gardens, each cookie baked in our ovens, each family dinner shared around our tables, each baby held in our arms, and each warm night spent beneath the many quilts she handcrafted for us.

Shirley is welcomed into heaven by her loving husband, Ronald Osborne; beloved parents, Edwin and Mabel Anderson; sister Mary Anne (Don) Norum; and son-in-law, Mike Killorin.

She is survived by her children, Jay (Karen) Osborne, Sharlene Killorin, Bill (Karen) Osborne, and Thomas (Jennifer) Osborne; grandchildren, Laura (Brian) Durmaskin, Sarah (Tyler) Verworn, Joshua (Lori) Osborne, Leah (Weston) Obrycki, Timothy (Kelly) Killorin, Sean Killorin, Kelly Killorin, Rachel Osborne, Jessica (Sean) McNash, Paul (Rebecca) Osborne, Heidi (Josiah) Austin, Emily (Seth) Bergstedt, Wil (fiancé Hannah) Osborne, Mary Osborne, and Andrew Osborne; great-grandchildren, Maren, Clara, Sam, Brooke, Austin, Maddie, Isaac, and Calvin; brothers, John (Carolyn) Anderson, Charles (SuAnne) Anderson, Steve (Ginny) Anderson; and many other close relatives and friends.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the staff at Franciscan Health Center, Shirley's home for the last seven years of her life. They not only cared for our mom; they loved her. Thank you for developing meaningful, joy-filled relationships with her.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Shirley's Family: they will designate the gifts in Shirley's Honor. There will be a private service and burial for immediate family. We will host a celebration of life for Shirley on June 11th, 2022.