LINDA MAY (MARTIN) OSBORN

BRISTOL — Linda May (Martin) Osborn passed away on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at UVM Medical Center in Burlington after a full and joyful life. She was 75.

She was born Feb. 1, 1948, to the late Max and Clara (Campbell) Martin. She would be the eldest of their seven children. She attended the old Bristol High School in 1968 and was part of its last class of students. Shortly after, she met Kenneth (Ozzie) Osborn, they were happily wed later that year. They briefly lived in New Jersey before returning to Vermont with their two young daughters. They spent 40 years together.

She was short, but incredibly strong; an attentive mother, grandmother, and a devoted woman of God. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Bristol, where she was a lifelong volunteer, Sunday school teacher and the president of “Treasure Seekers” for many decades. She was proud to have witnessed the installation of the accessibility lift in the church, which has benefited many in recent years.

Linda found joy working with her hands, both in the stitches and the soil. Fashioning doll clothes and planting tomatoes, it was all the same to her. She was always thinking of the next project. She was an avid collector but prized her dolls and nutcrackers the most. She was an amateur bird photographer and liked watching them alongside house cats Cocoa and Cali, whom she adored. Above all, she cherished her family: including her husband and her daughter, Laurie Ann Goetz, who were both gone too soon.

Linda is survived by her daughter, Karen Osborn; her grandchildren, Mary and Peter Lynch; her son-in-law, John Goetz; and by her many siblings, nieces, and nephews. She and her hugs will be deeply missed by family and friends alike.

The family would like to thank Project Independence, for connecting her with a community of her peers and the UVM Medical Center ICU staff, for their care and consideration in her final days.

Calling hours will be on Friday, Jan. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. with a memorial service the following day at 11 a.m., both at the First Baptist Church of Bristol. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Bristol, in Linda’s name. Mail to: Care of Nancy Skidmore, 85 Burritt Lane, Bristol, VT. 05443. To send online condolences to her family, please visit www.brownmcclayfuneralhomes.com. ◊