Nano (Nancy) Osborn, 42, obituary
Everyone knew her as Nano. Nancy Osborn, age 42, died in her Ann Arbor home Sunday, in the arms of her husband, surrounded by family, after living with cancer for 10 years.
It’s hard to overstate the impact Nano had on everyone who knew her. A people-magnet, she lived with great generosity, humor, and mindfulness, and she thrived on sharing that exuberance with others. She was the kooky aunt, the creative friend, the kid sister, the loyal daughter, the considerate neighbor, the loving wife, the informed citizen. She found humor in much of life, including her cancer. The first time chemotherapy made most of her hair fall out, she pointed to the few remaining down-like tufts and cracked, "I look like a baby sparrow."
Her passion for the environment rivaled her passion for the English language, and only the bravest took her on in Scrabble. Most importantly, during fifteen years of marriage Nano was the life co-pilot of John “JR” Roberts, whose deep love and constant support, particularly in the last 10 years, enriched Nano’s life beyond measure.
Together, Nano and JR transformed an ordinary lawn into a native-garden sanctuary, brimming with Michigan wildflowers and grasses. Nano, a Master Gardener, loved to show off their garden to guests, and they frequently offered it for events such as garden tours and friends’ weddings. Nano took immense delight in watching a hummingbird sip nectar from bee balm she'd planted just for that moment.
Always game for a good time, Nano and JR frequently threw open their 110-year-old home to family and friends. No matter how many people were around, Nano put others at ease in social settings and took genuine interest in their stories. Her least favorite question was, "What do you do (for a living)?"
Nano lived by her principles. She hunted down stylish fashions at used clothing stores, recycled regularly, made greeting cards instead of buying them, and walked and biked wherever she could until cancer made that impossible. She relished used things for their history; "new" held far less appeal.
Fed up with the cars barreling by her house, and concerned for the safety of nearby kids, Nano organized and succeeded in implementing the Brooks Street traffic-calming project, among the first of its kind in Ann Arbor. She also devoted hundreds of hours to peer counseling other women diagnosed with stage-four cancer, a support not commonly available 10 years ago. Many more hours were spent editing newsletters for local, environmental and political causes, including the Ecology Center, the ACLU, and the Master Gardener program. Nano supported WEMU and the Michigan Theater as well as locally produced plays, especially at the Performance Network and Ypsilanti's Riverside Arts Center. She detested folk music.
Though she would screw up her nose to hear it, Nano gave courage and inspiration to others, even those she met only once. Among her greatest gifts was the guidance she gently gave those of us who loved her, who stood by helplessly, in dealing with her cancer. And without doubt Nano would have had something to say about the wording and punctuation of the preceding sentence.
The youngest of six, Nano grew up on West Ainsworth in Ypsilanti. Her strong alto voice provided the harmony for everything from "Happy Birthday" to carols. For years, the Osborns’ annual Christmas Crankdown featured lots of camaraderie, singing and the family's homemade ice cream; Nano always did her share of the cranking. She kept her education local, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from EMU in 1986 and a master’s degree in natural resources and the environment from UM in 1993.
Nano’s favorite place was the Lake Michigan shore, where for years the extended Osborn family camped together for a week each summer. She credited her experiences as a church camp counselor for igniting her love of camping. She also relished canoe trips in the Canadian wilderness, snorkeling in the Caribbean, and dancing – any type, any time. One of her favorite recent trips was a pub and cathedral tour of small English towns.
She leaves behind many who loved her. The short list includes her family: husband JR of Ann Arbor; parents Carroll and Bonny, Ypsilanti; siblings John (Jean), Onsted; Charlotte, St. Paul, MN; Janet (Gregory), Ann Arbor; Tim (Vickie), Amherst, WI; and Joel (Sandy), Ypsilanti; step-daughter Sara (Todd) and granddaughter Fern, Fort Hill, PA; in-laws John and Dorma Roberts, Jan (Patrick) Rutty, Cathy (Lew) Trescott, Jerry (Katie) Roberts, and Gene Roberts; nieces and nephews Jack, Joel, Lindsey, Kees, Mark, Kelly, Tijl, Haan, Jeremiah, Kristin, Helen, Frankie, Andrew, Danielle, Kestin, Philip, Mickey, Natalie, Matthew, Jade, and Nina; kitties Nadine and Slim; and many, many friends, also part of Nano's family.
Visitation will be 1 pm Saturday, Oct. 15, at First United Methodist Church, 209 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti, between Washington and Adams streets. Services are at 2 pm, and an informal lunch will follow, with more time for visitation. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the FUMC Camp Fund, FUMC Organ Fund, or the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
Other ways to honor Nano are to plant trees or other perennial plants in places where they will provide wildlife habitat or a restorative environment for humans, and to educate pre-menopausal women about every single option (and right) they have in diagnosing breast lumps.
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obit from the Ann Arbor News, hyperlinks added (because I think Nano would have expected me to add them)
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This news comes as I pack bags to go south to hold a memorial service for my brother. Though I've known Nano faced and fought this for a long time, it still comes as a shock to face the outcome.
I knew Nancy back when she and John met, and the instant I saw them together I knew they were the perfect couple. My wife and I attended their wedding, and the image of the two jitterbugging still resonates.
May JR and family and friends remember happy times, and Nancy with her incredible smile.
Posted by: Rich Wiggins | October 12, 2005 at 08:53 PM
What I'll always remember of Nano was her unique sense of humor and outpouring love for her family.
Over the course of the past three years or so, I attended many family gatherings and Nano was always the life of the party. I remember one case in particular where Nano was so ill from her cancer treatments, but she mustered up enough strength to get up on the dance floor and carry on with her little neice and nephew. There was no question to the fact that she was genuinely enjoying the moment and I remember thinking to myself what an amazing person she was. Despite having a terminal illness, she never gave up and lived life to its fullest.
Cancer isn't unique but the way Nano dealt with the disease was. During her 9 year battle with this horrible disease, Nano kept an online diary which kept her friends and family up to date on the progress of her cancer and what she was doing to fight it.
Even when the disease had completely ravaged her body, she continued to fight with little assistance of pain killers. When asked why she kept waiving off the pain medication she responded; "I don't want to miss a thing." The Hospice nurse was verbally surprised how long Nano kept on going. There was several occassions where family members did not expect Nano to make it through the night, two weeks later she was still hanging in there. Even when all hope was gone, Nano never gave in. She continued to fight this monster until it finally won.
Unfortunately, I never got to really KNOW Nano and this is something that I will always regret.
There was much to be admired and I cannot help but to fight back tears when I know just how much pain this special family will continue to have endure with her physical absense.
I find a great deal of comfort with the assurance that Nano is now alive and very much well with our Father in Heaven.
Nevertheless, I will personally miss her and so will hundreds of others.
Posted by: Kenny Lindsay | October 17, 2005 at 01:45 AM
I too will miss Nancy and the fun times I had at her and JR house. The last time I was there was for the Osborn family reunion three years ago. As sick as she was she made the day so much fun. Nancy was my cousin.
Posted by: Bill DeHaven | October 19, 2005 at 12:26 AM
Nancy was a wonderful gal!! There were always words of encouragement from Nancy for others in their time of need. She was truly an inspiration to me. Her love of gardening inspired me to become a Master Gardener. I'm not sure she ever knew how much I admired her. She will be missed by all who knew her. Nancy was my cousin.
Posted by: Wendy DeHaven | October 20, 2005 at 07:29 PM