James W. Osborne

James William Osborne (Jim, Jaime, Jimmy) was born on April 15, 1948 to his mother Nadine and father Floyd (Ozzie) Osborne in Torrance, California. He passed peacefully in his sleep in his home in Whittier, California on May 2, 2020.

When Jim was 17 years old, he joined the Marine Corps where he served two tours in Vietnam. After returning home, he worked as a journeyman at the docks in Long Beach, and subsequently became a full-fledged longshoreman where he worked for the rest of his life until retirement. He loved his job and was very proud to be a member of a long line of longshoreman in the family and part of the union. His wife Carol is also a retired longshoreman-OCU department. In 1989 Jim joined the National Guard and helped keep L.A. safe during the tumultuous times of the L.A. Riots. While Jim lived his entire life in Southern California, he spent many years traveling around the world and loved the Philippines.

Jim is survived by his wife Carol, his children Jennifer (Jim) Uruburu, Dana (Steve) Osborne, and Toni (Jeromy) Osborne, his stepchildren, Gil Cuenca, Queenie (Jorge) Atencia, and Mark Cuenca, his three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Jim had an incredible sense of humor, a unique take on life, and was loved by many. He helped raise his sister Sandra's children and was adored by them as a father figure. Jim was always generous with his time: he loved to sit outside over a roaring fire, to tell stories, pet dogs, watch fireworks, sharpen his knives, eat great food (especially black licorice), swim in the ocean, and fix old cars and bikes. He loved to travel with his wife Carol and was always looking forward to their next adventure together.

A private service will be held on May 14th 2020 at 11 am at White Emerson Mortuary and will be streamed on Facebook. His ashes will be spread across California by his loved ones and a Celebration of Life is being planned so that members of the family and his many friends can join together to remember him.