December 24, 1938 - October 15, 2018
Tommie Sue Osburn, age 79, of Lodi, after a short illness, died October 15, 2018 at Lodi Memorial Hospital with family by her side. Sue, or "Auntie Sue," was born December 24, 1938 at home in Douthat, OK, the youngest of three children and the only daughter. Her father, Thomas, was a miner and entrepreneur when Sue was young. Her mother, Julia, was a homemaker.
When Sue was only a few years old she moved with her family to Ione, CA where she grew up. She attended schools in Ione and graduated from Ione High School. She was on the high school yearbook staff the year the yearbook was dedicated to her brother, who worked at the school. Also, while in high school she proved to be a good tennis player and continued to play tennis for much of her life. She played on a women's softball team named Ben's Bells, which was sponsored by her brother's business. Sue also enjoyed reading and had remarkably good and distinctive hand writing throughout her life. Additionally, she enjoyed country music, besides spending time with family.
After high school and through a friend, Sue got a job at Pacific Bell, which later became part of AT&T, in Jackson, CA. This started her life-long career as a telephone operator. When the Jackson telephone office closed she moved to Lodi to work in that office and later worked in the Stockton office, where she retired.
Sue never married or had kids. But she doted over her nieces and nephews. Also, she loved animals, especially cats. She owned many cats over the years and most were ones she rescued. She was a dependable donor to many cat and animal rescue organizations.
Sue was especially famous for her home-made fudge, which she gave out generously and it was joyfully received. She also was generous and compassionate with family and friends. She often created tasks for her nieces and nephews to do as an excuse to pay them in order to help them pay for school or the essentials they needed.
Sue's relatives were always her first priority. She and her brothers were very close, and they always doted over her. After she was retired one of her bothers called to talk with her every day. Her nieces and nephews were very fond of her. Sue was kind, funny and fun to be with. She had a deep knowledge of family history and was the go-to person for anything related to family history.
Auntie Sue was a committed Christian who believed in the value of faith, love and kindness.
Auntie Sue is survived by her many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in her death by her parents Tom and Julia, and by her brothers Leoland and Ben.
The family wishes to especially thank Debbie Fraser, Auntie Sue's niece and the daughter of Leoland, whom Sue asked to take the lead in her care. The family also wishes to thank the doctors and nurses of Lodi Memorial Hospital for Sue's excellent care.
SERVICE
The memorial service will be held at 1:00pm Saturday October 27, 2018 at Vineyard Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park located at 14165 N. Beckman Road, Lodi, CA 95240. Committal will be in the Last Supper Mausoleum at Cherokee Memorial Park, located at Harney Lane and Hwy 99, Lodi, CA 95240.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Animal Friends Connection Humane Society (http://animalfriendsconnect.org/donate/ ).
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Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Osburn family.