Andrew 'Andy' Osborn, 63
Andrew “Andy” Osborn passed away peacefully at home Dec. 11, 2024, surrounded by his family, after a long journey of living with ALS. His gentle, kind, fun-loving spirit will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Born on June 1, 1961, in Dillon, Mont., to Alva “Ozzie” and Kris Osborn, Andy joined his sister, Kari. The family moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 1963, where Andy attended school — graduating from Coeur d'Alene High School in 1979. After college, Andy returned to Coeur d’Alene — to him, the most beautiful place to live — where he resided the rest of his life.
The most important thing in Andy’s life was his relationship with his Lord, Jesus Christ. He lived his faith quietly but fully committed to following Jesus from the time he was 16. After moving back to Coeur d’Alene, he met the love of his life, and a year later, Andy and Susanne Chaffee were married March 20, 1988. During their first year of marriage, Andy started teaching high school at North Idaho Christian School. In his more than 30 years of teaching there, he taught many subjects, with math being his favorite. He was a dedicated and diligent teacher, expecting great things from his students while caring personally for each one.
Andy loved life and lived it to the fullest. While in college, he spent his spring breaks and a couple of summers traveling on short-term mission trips around the world. After marriage, the adventures continued with outdoor pursuits such as hiking, canoeing, bicycling, mountaineering, rock climbing, tennis and pickleball. Andy and Susanne were blessed with nine amazing children who he poured his life into. Wanting to teach his children to be producers and entrepreneurs rather than consumers, he encouraged them to pursue music, art and outdoor activities and find opportunities to earn their own income. He sought out many events and venues for the kids to share their musical talents. Whenever the family was not off on adventures, Andy selflessly gave up his summer Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons to take the kids to the farmer’s market, where they sold lemonade — the younger ones stepping in as the older ones moved on to other ventures. Though the last several years of his life were very challenging as he lost the ability to use his legs, arms and hands, he didn’t complain but looked for the blessings received in spending meaningful time with family and loved ones.
Andy is survived by his wife, Susanne, and eight of his nine children, Katelyn (Logan) Ownbey, Lindy (Jacob) McRae, Kiersti (Austin) Tilley, Daniel (Odessa) Osborn, Janae, Elisa, Faith and Joel Osborn, his sister, Kari Dickinson, and nine-plus grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ozzie and Kris Osborn, and his eldest son, Luke Osborn.
There will be a memorial service to celebrate his life at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 8, 2025, at Grace Bible Church, Coeur d'Alene.