- Date Of Birth: May 26, 1926
- Date Of Death: November 30, 2015
- State: Indiana
Donna L. Osborne, 89, of Knoxville and formerly of Elkhart, Ind., passed away peacefully with her family by her side Monday, Nov. 30, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law. She had a long battle with cancer since 2006.
She was born May 26, 1926, to Beulah and Ermon Copher in Elwood, Ind.
Donna graduated from Elkhart High School in 1944, where she was a member of the girls, Rah Rah Club. She also attended Ashland College in Ohio.
During World War II, she worked in the parts department of C.G. Conn, supplying parts for the war effort. She went on to work as a merchandising manager at Zeisel’s department store, and later worked at Adams & Westlake and then at Miles Laboratories as a circulation desk librarian and executive secretary.
In the 1960s, she received her Realtor license and sold Real Estate in Indiana and Georgia. In North Carolina and Tennessee she worked for Belk and Proffitt’s department stores.
Her life touched so many, especially her family. She tirelessly gave of herself in relationships with family and friends. Donna was a Christian with simple faith and love for Jesus. She was known to many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as “Doula,” an ancient Greek word meaning “a woman who serves.” She loved life, she loved people well, and her life reflected the Lord’s faithfulness and love for all of us.
She married her former husband, Lyle Osborne, on Aug. 4, 1945, at the U.S. Naval base in Key West, Fla. He preceded her in death Aug. 30, 2010.
Surviving are her sons, Cary (Lisa) Osborne, David (Pamela) Osborne and Douglas (Patti) Osborne, all of Elkhart; a daughter, Nancy (Jay) Warrick of Knoxville; nine grandchildren, Sara Crist, Justin Nettro, Jessica Williams, Joshua (Jessica) Osborne, Jordan Osborne, MacKenzie Adamek and Ryan, Hannah and Amy Grace Warrick; and five great-grandchildren, Sydney Williams, Savannah, Noelle and Jude Crist, and Madelynn Osborne. Also, surviving are her brothers, Steve Miller of Elkhart, and Robert, Richard and Ronnie Copher, all of Tampa, Fla.
