Valdeen Osborn

Valdeen Osborn, affectionately known as "Babe" from the day she was born, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2026. Born Valdeen Jessen on December 13, 1940, in Walnut, Iowa, she spent nearly 86 years bringing warmth, laughter and friendship to everyone fortunate enough to know her.

From an early age, Val possessed a joyful spirit, an infectious personality and a mischievous sense of humor. Stylish, outgoing and always ready for fun, she embraced life with enthusiasm. She loved Saturday-night polka dances in Avoca, cruising through town with friends and creating stories that her family would laugh about for decades. Whether sharing a laugh, dancing the night away or simply enjoying the company of those around her, Val had a remarkable ability to make every gathering a little brighter.

It was while “scooping the loop” one weekend in Atlantic, Iowa with friends in 1958 that Val met the love of her life, Ron Weaver. They were married on April 15, 1961, on a spring day that marked the beginning of a beautiful partnership. Together they built a marriage defined by unwavering love, laughter, adventure and friendship.

Val and Ron began their life together in Denver, where Ron started his career with Ford Motor Company. They had two children, Greg and Teri in 1963 and 1965. As Ron’s career progressed, Val enthusiastically embraced every new chapter, creating homes and lasting friendships as the family lived in Denver, Southern California, Detroit, the San Francisco Bay Area and Irvine, California. Wherever life took them, Val had an extraordinary gift for making people feel welcome. Whether she was meeting neighbors, chatting with someone at the grocery store or volunteering in her community, strangers quickly became friends. She treasured those relationships, faithfully keeping in touch through letters, phone calls, emails and later Facebook, ensuring that distance never diminished the bonds she created.

She and Ron also loved introducing their family to Lake Tahoe, creating treasured skiing memories with Greg and Teri alongside lifelong friends, including the Kirk and Compton families. It was in those everyday moments, filled with family, friendship, laughter and love, that Val was happiest.

Those who knew Val also knew there were certain things that simply belonged to her. Her home was famously spotless, vacuum lines in the carpet were treated almost like works of art, and everyone knew better than to disturb a freshly cleaned room. She found comfort in life's simple routines: a bowl of Cheerios with a banana, her daily walks and the satisfaction of everything being exactly where it belonged.

Professionally, Val worked at Mutual of Omaha before spending much of her work life in medical offices, where her warmth and organizational skills made her a natural fit for front-office and office management roles. She later worked with ACIC Physical Therapy in Orange County and, after moving to Stockton, joined the San Joaquin County Office of Education. In every role, it was the relationships she built that mattered most to her.

Following Ron's passing in 1988, Val continued to live with the resilience and optimism that defined her life. She moved to Stockton in 1992 to be closer to her beloved grandchildren, Drew and Katie. She also fulfilled a dream she and Ron had shared by purchasing a home in Lake Tahoe, where she built another close circle of friends and created countless happy memories.

That gift for friendship was perhaps best illustrated by "The Pool People," the close-knit group of friends she gathered with at Carnelian Woods in Lake Tahoe. Summers were spent soaking up the sunshine, sharing stories around the pool, walking along the lake, gathering family together and, every now and then, enjoying a famous Wet Woody at Gar Woods. Tahoe had long been Val and Ron's retirement dream, and after his passing, it remained one of the places where she felt most at home.

"Babe” loved to travel and embraced every opportunity to explore, especially when it included her sister Cleone, aka Toots. She enjoyed memorable trips to Europe, cruises with family and friends, vacations in Hawaii and countless adventures with her sister and dear friends Carol Compton and others.

After 12 years of living alone, Val found companionship with former high school boyfriend Jack Osborn in 2000. She returned to her hometown of Walnut, Iowa, where they married and enjoyed 18 happy years together. Following Jack’s passing in 2018, Val returned to Stockton and quickly flourished at O'Connor Woods, serving on the welcoming committee and once again doing what came naturally, making new friends while reconnecting with old ones. Her happy hours and dinners with friends were “can’t miss” activities.

In 2025, she returned to Iowa to reside at Peace Haven, where her warm smile and caring heart continued to touch those around her. She loved the community activities with her friends and proved to be a prolific Bingo player. The move also reunited one of the town's most beloved sister acts. Toots and Babe were together once again, sharing stories, laughter and adventures around Walnut, delighting family and friends as if no time had passed at all.

Val measured life's riches not by possessions, but by people. Every town became home because she filled it with friends. Every season of life brought another circle of laughter, another group to care for, another reason to gather around a table. Her greatest gift was making people feel like they belonged, and because of that, her legacy lives on not only through her family, but through the countless friends whose lives were brighter because she was part of them.

Val is survived by her sister, Cleone Jessen; her son, Greg Weaver, and daughter-in-law, Juli Weaver; her daughter, Teri Reynolds, and son-in-law, Kirk Reynolds; her grandchildren, Drew Weaver and his wife, Holland, and Katie Pawloski and her husband, Jeramie; and her great-grandchildren, Madison Pawloski, Audrey Pawloski, Max Weaver, Dylan Weaver, and Wyatt Weaver.

Memorial contributions may be made to Peace Haven in Babe's memory via the Community Foundation of Western Iowa. Your generosity will help support the community that gave her another circle of cherished friends, countless happy hours, spirited Bingo games and a place she proudly called home.

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