Marjorie Osborne Gardner, 61
Marjorie Osborne Gardner peacefully passed from this world on June 1, 2018, after a lengthy battle with heart disease.
Marjorie was born Oct. 10, 1956, in Burley, Idaho, to William and Colleen Osborne, the third of five children. Her childhood was spent on the family ranch in Lolo, which she always considered home. A drive through the area was not complete without a visit to the ranch and time reminiscing. She considered herself quite blessed to have such full and rich childhood filled with 4-H, raising bum lambs, treasure hunting with grandparents and riding Honda 90s.
She attended grade school in Lolo prior to the family’s move to Missoula during her middle school years. Finding high school at Sentinel High in Missoula to be unsatisfying, Marjorie found her niche at Holy Names Academy in Spokane. She had many fond memories of her time there. As the family business grew, they found themselves spending more and more time in the Flathead. Abandoning the ranch and Missoula, they moved to the West Shore of Flathead Lake. This was a move that Marjorie was not excited about, changing schools midway through her junior year seemed like the end of the world, but that soon changed.
A blind date that ended with a ride home in a stolen car was the beginning of what would develop into a 44-year marriage to the love of her life, William Gardner. Marjorie graduated from Flathead High School in 1974, fulfilling a promise made to her father when she married Bill the year prior. They shared many adventures, which created the opportunity for numerous stories shared with family and friends during gatherings or moments of quiet confidence. Marjorie wanted to see the world and convinced her new husband to join the Army. As luck would have it, he was unable to pass the physical due to poor hearing and she was sent away to basic training alone. This was quite an experience for a young girl from a small town in Northwest Montana who was generally quite shy and quiet, though proved to be one of growth that she would fondly reflect on for her lifetime.
She returned to Kalispell and together they had a daughter, Jessica, whom they raised in Somers and Kalispell. As Jessica grew into adulthood, she became Marjorie’s best friend. While motherhood was treasured, Marjorie felt as if the sun and the moon rose and set on her grandchildren, Gabrielle and Willy. She so loved the opportunity to be a part of their daily lives as they grew. She took great pleasure as chauffeur, cheer leader and trusted advisor.
Much of her time was spent working alongside both her father and husband at Liberty Drilling where she managed the office. She was well known and respected in the well drilling community for her ability to take the illegible gibberish scratched on a driller’s log and turn it into an accurate document which could be depended on for years to come. After her father’s death, Marjorie and Bill continued to run Liberty Drilling together. With the support of her husband, she was able to realize a dream of hers and opened Roots and Wings, a small gift and antique store in Kalispell, which she enjoyed very much. So much of her heart remained at Liberty Drilling and she ultimately returned. Retirement afforded her more time to continue to cultivate the artistic talents that she inherited from her mother. She could always be found with numerous projects in progress, much to her chagrin, as Bill would often tease her about how many tables they have in the house, but no place to eat dinner.
Over the past several years, she fought very hard to regain her health as she wanted so desperately to continue her life here with all of us. Ultimately, her broken heart led her home on June 1, 2018, “where she was greeted with open arms and tears of joy by her parents William and Colleen Osborne, brother Michael Osborne, nephew Billey Tony, maternal Uncle Blaine and cousin Janice Boley, paternal Aunt Marilyn Thomas, dear friend Jannie Grange and numerous others.”
She will be so dearly missed and remembered by those of us remaining here, including her husband Bill, daughter Jessica Glover (Will), granddaughter Gabrielle Glover (Elijah) and grandson Willy Glover. She is also survived by her “boys” whom she considered sons, Spencer Desmet (Nikki and Mackenzie), Andrew Desmet (“little boys” Brecken and Talon), and Tyler Desmet (Brittany). Her sisters, Katy Osborne, Gina Sorensen (Bob, Emily and Sam) and Liz Marvin (Zeno, Saje and Thayer) were also by her side as she took her last breaths. She touched the hearts of so many others.
The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Marjorie’s team of healthcare providers who worked so diligently to help her along the way, including Dr. Nitschelm and staff at Big Sky Family Medicine, numerous staff at cardiac rehab and Rocky Mountain Heart and Lung and those working in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care unit at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
Services will be held at 3:30 p.m. July 3 at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home with a celebration of life to follow at 5 p.m. at Buffalo Hill Golf Course. Friends are encouraged to visit the website www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolence for the family. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.