Janet Osborn

Janet Louise Winder Osborn

04251927-10182009

Janet Louise Winder Osborn, known to her friends as Jan, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at Mission Arch Care Center in Roswell, New Mexico.

Janet grew up in and around Deming, New Mexico. Her parents, William Albert Winder and Isabelle Dunn Winder, owned and operated ranches in the Deming-Hatch, New Mexico area where Janet spent much of her youth. She loved animals, nature and open spaces, and she knew by heart the details encompassing the families home ranch, the Open Diamond and the Mimbres Valley. When the children were of an age to attend school, Janets parents bought a home at 322 S. Tin Street in Deming and moved the family to town, but she continued to spend as much time on the ranch as she could.

Janet was an accomplished classical pianist, studying from childhood through her college years. She attended Radford School for Girls in El Paso, Texas, where she was elected Sun Princess; studied at Christian College in Columbia, Missouri for two years then moved to Dallas, Texas and graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from Southern Methodist University. Jan also did some graduate work there and belonged to Alpha Delta Phi sorority.

At SMU, Janet met her husband-to-be, William Wilmot Bill Osborn. They married in 1950 and moved to Roswell, where Bill opened his first law practice with partner Richard Bean. Bill became active in the Democratic Party and served as State Senator in the late 50s. Janet, by then the mother of two young children, enjoyed the color and culture of Santa Fe while the Senate was in session. She especially loved the opera, and pursued her fascination with New Mexico painters and writers. She also deepened her lifelong appreciation of Native American arts and artifacts, which she and Bill collected. Janet and Bill loved to dance. While in Santa Fe, they attended gala balls together, decked out in their finest.

Janet created a beautiful and orderly home for her family. She kept a flower garden, collected cut crystal, and spent many hours handcrafting rugs, quilts, afghans, clothing, and needlepoint pillows for her friends and family. She strongly encouraged her children in their studies and mentored in them a lifelong love of music and the arts. The house was full of books. The children were also allowed many interesting pets including the family dogs, crows, canaries, lizards, guinea pigs, ground squirrels, hamsters, mice, fish, salamanders, and of course horses and cows. She described those years of raising her young family as the happiest years of my life.
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Visitation

Ballard Funeral Home
910 S. Main
Roswell, NM  88203
Monday, October 19, 2009
8:00 AM

Service

Memorial Service

First United Methodist Church
200 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
Roswell, NM  88201
Thursday, October 22, 2009
10:00 AM

Cemetery

South Park Cemetery
3101 S. Main St.
Roswell, NM  88203