John J. 'Jack' Osborne, 99

John J. "Jack" Osborne, born Aug. 3, 1925, in Missoula, passed away on Oct. 22, 2024, in Kalispell at the age of 99.

Born to parents Verna and Jack Osborne, Jack and his younger brother Jim "Ozzy" were raised mostly in Missoula but also attended schools in Butte, and Alexandra, North Dakota. Growing up, his family enjoyed spending many weekends, holidays, and summers in their family cabin on Placid Lake. As a young adventurer, Jack and his lifelong friend Johnny Heinrich once embarked on a two-day bike trip from Missoula to Butte, camping alongside the road on the way. After graduating from Missoula County High School, Jack joined the Army Air Corps during World War II and qualified as a pilot at just 18 years old. After the war at age 21, he worked as a smokejumper in Missoula and tragically lost friends in the Mann Gulch Fire. He graduated from the University of Montana, where he was a proud member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

In 1947, Jack married Marion Badgley, beginning a marriage that would last 49 years until Marion’s passing in 1997. Jack and Marion moved to Cut Bank where he worked as a photographer for the Pioneer Press. They started their family in Cut Bank with three girls (Sue, Gelene, and Patty) in just over three years and later added son John to complete the family. Jack changed jobs to work for Petrolane where he moved up in the company, relocating to Billings and then to Long Beach, California, as the main office comptroller. After five years in California, the family returned to Cut Bank to partner in a business with a tire shop, motel, and gas station. At the age of 42, Jack returned to school to become a certified public accountant (CPA), a profession he practiced until he retired at age 75. He also served for many years on the Board of Directors at Glacier Electric.

An avid adventurer, Jack shared many memorable experiences with his family, including a harrowing canoe trip down the Cut Bank River/Creek with his son John at age 15, where they wrapped their canoe around a rock not long after launching. They had to kick out the damage to finish the float because the craggy sandstone cliffs were too steep to climb out. A skilled pilot, Jack flew a co-owned Cessna 182 until the mid-1980s, later shifting to a hobby of building and flying radio-controlled airplanes well into his 90's. After retirement, he enjoyed 15 years as a snowbird in Arizona, reconnecting with friends and indulging in his love of golf and cards. He enjoyed hunting in his younger years, had a lifelong passion for cars, and celebrated a hole-in-one at the age of 90. Jack was quiet, honest, and hardworking. Jack’s quick wit, intelligence, and love for family (and the Grizzlies) were constants in his life, and he was deeply admired by those who knew him.

He was preceded in death by his wife Marion, his parents and brother Jim, and son-in-law Alan Berkram. 

He is survived by his four children, Sue Osborne, Gelene Berkram, Patty (Mick) Hagestad, and John (Joleen) Osborne; eight grandchildren, Dan Berkram (Ashley), Paul (Kelly) Berkram, Lisa (Mike) Jones, Jenna (Chad) Huff, Katie (Kelson) Ramey, Jodi (Ryan) Wardinsky, JonAlan Osborne, Josh Osborne; 13 great-grandchildren, Quinn, Ty and Sadie Berkram, Gwen and Oscar Jones, Zane, Norah, and Grady Huff, Kennedy (Connor) Langel, Reese and Trey Ramey, Emma and Paige Wardinsky; and one great-great grandson, Meyer Langel; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A service will be held at First Presbyterian Church at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, in Cut Bank, with burial to follow at Crown Hill Cemetery in Cut Bank. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Grizzly Scholarship Association Adam Center 139, Missoula, MT, 59812; or the Cut Bank High School Berkram Memorial Scholarship, 101 Third Ave. S.E., Cut Bank, MT 59427. 

Jack’s legacy of love, kindness, and perseverance will be deeply missed by his family and all who knew him. 

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for the family.