Nancy Jean Osborne

Nancy Jean Osborne, of Springville, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at The Views of Marion. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at Murdoch Funeral Home in Marion, where a visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Springville Cemetery in Springville, Iowa.

Nancy Jean (Chipman) Osborne was born on October 19, 1935, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Daughter of Helen (Cavanagh) Chipman and Ernest Leroy Chipman. She was a 1953 graduate of Washington Seminar in Atlanta, Georgia. After high school, she attended the University of Alabama, where she was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She was united in marriage to Edward Paul Osborne Jr. on June 2, 1961, in Jasper, Alabama, and later divorced in 1980. They remained lifelong friends.

Throughout her life, Nancy held a variety of professional roles. Early in her career, she worked for the Vice President of North Mississippi. She went on to teach German and history at the high school level and English as a Second Language (ESL) at the college level, in addition to serving as a substitute teacher. Nancy owned and operated a travel agency. She also worked as a ticket and reservation agent for Western and Delta Air Lines at various airports, where she remained until her retirement.

Nancy’s lifelong passion was traveling. She loved learning new things and visiting new places. She traveled extensively throughout her life, meeting many interesting people and learning many new things. She spent a great deal of time in her favorite places, Europe, Wales, New Zealand, and South America. This curiosity to learn drove her to become an avid reader. Nancy was passionate about charity work and assisted several organizations helping women out of poverty. She had a love for animals, knitting, and colorful fabric. She was a woman of faith and drew strength from God. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

After living most of her adult life in Seattle, Nancy settled in Iowa in 2021 to be closer to her daughter’s family.

She is survived by her three children, Cyndi (Janielee) Osborne of Duvall, Washington, Alexis (Kevin) Hulett of Springville, Iowa, Grant (Lisa) Osborne of Spokane, Washington; three grandchildren, Jeneveve (Devin), Jake (CJ), Trevor (Kenzie); three great-grandchildren, Nora, Blaire, and Colt; sister, Shirley Morgan of Nova Scotia; as well as a dear friend, Carole Shaffer of Texas; her Welsh friends in Wales; and all whom she met and befriended in her travels.

She is preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Everett Jeans, Betty Macleod, and Sharon Crawford.

A heartfelt thank you to Visiting Angels, especially Solveig and Diane, for their exceptional care and compassion. We also extend our sincere appreciation to UnityPoint Hospice—both the hospice team and the nurses on the respite floor at St. Luke’s—for their kindness and support. Finally, our deepest thanks to the C Wing (OakView) Skilled Nursing staff at The Views for the loving care and comfort they provided during her final months.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice in her memory.