Waltraud Kathe Osbourne's Obituary
Kathe as she preferred to be called was born on January 21, 1938 in Nochen, Germany by her parents Anna Jansen nee Bender and Wilhelm August Jansen both residing at Nochen. She grew up at the start of WWII and daily being sent with her mother and her older sister to a nearby bomb shelter. Her father was taken captive by the Russian Army and kept in captivity for approximately 5 years; upon his return Kathe didn't know who he was as she was just an infant when he was captured. But they soon became best of Father and Daughter companions going on mountain hikes often. She was given a nickname of "Piedy" pronounced Pīədē given to mean admiration or respect!
She came to the United States after her marriage to Richard L. Gray in Germany about February 17, 1959 who was in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Germany at the time. There went on many tours in Europe being Italy, France and London where they were finally deployed to Tacoma, WA where they took residency in December of 1982, an area now called Lakewood. That marriage bore no children and later the marriage was dissolved. During her Lakewood residency she worked at the Tacoma Mall at Macy's and at the BX at McChord Airforce Base, JBLM, WA.
On May 16, 1986 Kathe married Louise Osbourne in Reno, Nevada and took residency in Steilacoom, WA. Louis "Lou" was known to call her "Piedy" whenever he spoke to her. Kathe is survived by no living relatives, her husband preceded her in death on August 5, 2018, no children came of that Union.
Kathe was a devout Catholic and attended Mass every Sunday at St. John Bosco Parish in Lakewood, WA until she no longer was able to attend. Father Peter at Madigan Hospital gave her the blessed Catholic Last Rites on October 28, 2025. She died peacefully in her sleep at Madigan Hospital Ft. Lewis, JBLM, WA.
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