Oder married for a third time to Irey Dunn who was the sister of his brother Edmond's wife whom he met while working for her grandfather John W. McCarty on the McCarty ranch near in Pauls Valley, Ok. He and his new family relocated in Clarita while Gay and his older three children lived in Coalgate. Even though the distance was not great, times were difficult and travel was limited; so Oder did not really have much contact with Lois, Willie and Jennie. Jennie has remembered being told that her daddy brought them money on occasion, but she s the youngest of the three older ones was basically raised by her grandmother. She does recall the time that she met him to know who he was.

Irey, Oder's third wife, died of pneumonia when she was 29 years old leaving him with six small children, the oldest being nine. This of course was the cruelest act of fate to a man that was already no stranger to adversity, as when he was 17 he was he lost the sight of one of his eyes in a wood cutting type accident. He then ten years later while working on a hotbed lost the sight of the other eye after being struck by a splinter. Though he was able to get around, the poor vision kept him from attaining his dreams. So the courage and wisdom this man displayed in knowing that for the best of his children he would have to give some of them up to be looked after by others was nothing short of miraculous, especially in his state of heartbreak. Stellen Dunn Osborne gave comfort to these children until a sister of Oder, Mary Osborne Armstrong came to take Robert the youngest son to live with her in Colorado, and another sister took Noreen, the tiny baby of only four months to live with her. This sister returned a short time later and took the next to youngest, Dorothy, because she was sick and needed medical attention. Elizabeth said that she almost turned around on her way home to return Dorothy even though she was sick, because she cried so the entire trip and for several weeks to come. Eventually though the two youngest girls were adopted by the Vickreys. Aunt Stellen provided the only real family influence for the three children remaining with their father as they went to her house often for good food and solace. Almeta, who was three and not in school, became the eyes for her father and together they were able to walk the hills and do the living that had to be done. Juanita, who was 8, became the cook and house keeper and James, who was 9, did the chores his father could not see to do.

Even in light of these traumatic events the children remained family and Oder fed and clothed those who stayed with him and Aunt Mary always saw to it that Robert came for a visit every summer. Elizabeth brought the two younger girls home, every Christmas. Clefford Vickrey played a big part in helping to keep this family as much together as possible as he helped them move from Clarita to Marlow which was closer to where he lived in Frederick and then eventually onto Frederick, where all but the oldest daughter graduated from high school. Oder survived and saw all of his nine children reach adult hood and become good useful citizens of society, seemingly no worse for the upheaval in their childhood. He had to depend on others for much of his substance, but he gave of himself in other ways such as providing us a good example of what a good person should be. He died on the 8th of March 1966 in Altus, Oklahoma and is buried in the Frederick Cemetery. He was a staunch Democrat who was very patriotic and extremely proud that all three of his sons served their country during World War II. Though Oder's eyes were virtually sightless they were a beautiful clear blue and he had a thick head of silvery white hair. He played dominos better than most and took life as it came his way without giving criticism to others or complaining about his lot. He believed in honesty and trust; so when he gave his word, that word was good. He taught us respect for each other, though different we all were. He knew discipline was necessary, but not to the point of breaking the spirit. We his children, have much to be grateful for that he was our dad.

(this account by Juanita Osborne Solley)

My father, Oder Osborne, lived near Clarita from 1929 through July 1941. He was born in Norfork, Arkansas, in 1889. He grew up in Arkansas working in timber and farming. He lost the sight in one eye at the age of 17 while running a stalk cutter. He came with his family to Oklahoma around 1911. He married Irey Dunn in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, in 1926. They moved to the Johnny Green place northwest of Clarita in 1929.

He lost most of the sight in his other eye while building a hot bed for tomato plants in 1930. This left him almost blind. In January 1936 we lived on a farm owned by Edmond Lewis. My mother became ill during a flu epidemic. She died with pneumonia two weeks later. She is buried at the Wilson cemetery. Our father was left with six small children. At this time, an aunt and uncle took the two youngest sisters, Dorothy and Noreen, to live with them. They later adopted them. Youngest brother, Bob, lived with an aunt in Colorado.

We, James, Almeta, and Juanita, continued to live with our father, Oder, living on several farms around Clarita. One was the "Twin Wells Place" north of town. We attended school at Clarita and church and Sunday School at Wilson.

Our father hired Essie Rush, a neighbor, to come each Thursday to do laundry and clean the house. We could not have made it if it had not been for this lady. Vada Jennings was also a much-appreciated neighbor. We moved from Coal County to Marlow, Oklahoma, in 1941, to be nearer the two sisters being raised by the Vickreys. We went to school in Marlow.

James enlisted in the Navy in 1945, and was stationed in the Marshall Islands for 14 months. I, Juanita, married in 1946, in Marlow, Oklahoma. The next year, our father, James, Bob, and Almeta moved to Frederick, Oklahoma, where the children graduated from high school.

Our father, Oder, had eye surgery restoring partial vision to his eyes in Oklahoma City in 1947, and when I visited him after the surgery, he told me, "This is the first time I have been able to see you since you were 2 ½ years old." I was 19 years old at the time. He was a much happier person after the eye surgery.

Bob served in the Air Force in Panama from 1951 to 1953. Almeta married in Frederick in 1951. With the children all gone from home, our father spent a few years in California near his brothers, who had relocated there from Clarita in the 1940's. He later returned to Frederick and died in Altus, Oklahoma, at the age of 76.

I remember seeing my first movie projected on the side of a building in downtown Clarita in 193 ' 4. A lot of people were there. They came in wagons and on horseback. It was a Shirley Temple movie. I was 6 years old.

I remember being at the Clarita School in 1935 when it came a cloudburst. The buses could not make the evening run. The parents had to walk or come on horseback after their children. It was almost dark when I saw my mother coming down the road on an old grey horse we had. My brother and I climbed on, one in front and one in back. It was very late when we got home.

Some of the things I remember about Coal County are the beautiful and very tall cottonwood trees that grew in the hills northwest of Clarita; also, the clear pools of water and how pretty the countryside is in the spring. The contour of the land never changes. It looks the same as it did 44 years ago when we moved away.

We visit the Wilson cemetery every few years and have two half-sisters and brother living in Coalgate and Lehigh. They are Jennie Laster of Coalgate and Lois Paxton and Willie D. Osborne of Lehigh. Coal County is still home.

The six children born to Oder and Irey Osborne are still living. James Oder Osborne, born March 5, 1927, in Pauls Valley. Lived near Clarita from 1929 thru July 1941. Married Margie McElroy in Levelland, Texas in 1952. He was a Police Sergeant for 20 years and Justice of the Peace for several years. He is now employed by Texline Oil Co. They have one son,' Kevin, born 1965, and a daughter, born in 1966. They have two grandsons. All live in Levelland.

Mary Juanita Osborne was born March 12, 1928 in Pauls Valley. She lived near Clarita from 1929 thru July 1941. She married Odis (Buck) Solley in Marlow in December 1945. He served in the army stationed in the Philippine Islands during World War II. They farmed for two years, then moved to west Texas in 1948 where he has been employed by Santa Fe Energy Co. for 35-years. He is District Production Superintendent of ti-e Permian Basin and the live in Seagraves, TX. They have one daughter, Karen, born in 1956. She married Mike Strube in 1976 and they live in Norman, Oklahoma. One grandson, Scot.

Robert Clifford Osborne was born Dec. 14, 1930, in Clarita. He spent several years in Colorado. He married Nina Henderson Hale in Levelland, TX, in 1971. He attended Okmulgee Tech and has been in television repair and sales in Seminole and Levelland, TX, for 30 years. He is now retired. Nina is retired from General Telephone Co. They live on Colorado City Lake, Texas.

Almeta Roseann Osborne was born in Clarita, Nov. 6, 1932. She married Bill Harness in Frederick, Ok., in 1951. He worked for Miracle Laboratories and was maintenance supervisor for Altus Public Schools. He is now retired. Almeta is a secretary for Hatton Butane Co. They have two children. Mitzi, born in 1956, is married and lives in Altus. Mark, born in 1958, lives in Oklahoma City.

(this account by Almeta Osborne Harness) When I was 3 years old my mother died of pneumonia and left my dad with six small children. My daddy's sister Elizabeth and her husband Clefford Vickrey took the two younger girls, Noreen and Dorothy to Frederick with them. They later adopted the girls. My mother, Irey, told my Daddy on her deathbed to give Elizabeth the baby, Noreen.

Dorothy, who was about two, had several accidents and was burned badly in an open fire on one occasion, and then also tripped and fell into a tub of water and was pulled out by Robert on another occasion. Therefore, Elizabeth came back and got Dorothy because it was felt that she was incapable of being taken care of by the other children and her disabled dad. This caused problems for all involved because Daddy did not want to let her go. Dorothy did not want to go as evidenced by her crying for weeks after she was taken, and Elizabeth and Clefford had their life disrupted to accept another family member. Daddy came to realize it was for the best that Dorothy stay where she was and not be unanchored to return to him and he knew that his wife had wanted Elizabeth and Clefford to keep Noreen, so he consented, with a heavy heart, for them to also adopt Dorothy.

My brother, Bobby, was in ill health so he went to live with my Daddy's sister, Mary and her husband Will Armstrong in Colorado. James, Juanita, and I stayed with my Daddy. Daddy had two eye accidents during his life, and he was nearly blind, thus making just existing hard for him. We had a lot of Osborne kinfolks around Clarita, but we were closest to Uncle Edmond and Aunt Stellen. Their children were our double cousins as their daddy was my Dad's brother and their mother was my mother's sister. When my mother died, my cousin, Joan, was a baby and Stellen was nursing her, so she also nursed Noreen, her dead sister's child. This probably saved Noreen's life.

James and Juanita were in school I at Clarita and I was too young to go so I went everywhere with Daddy. We had to walk and he could not see very well. I wore overalls and my hair was short and shingled in the back. Everyone called me a boy. I do remember Daddy buying me two dresses and I was so proud because they would be able to tell I was a girl. I could play dominos before went to school. One day Daddy and I were walking up in the hills. the other children were in school and we were going to Edmond's place. On the way home we got into the seed ticks and they got all over us. Daddy said we would have to get home and get them off before they ate us up. As I was about four, I really thought that those little things were going to eat us up and there would be nothing left of us. I think this is my first real memory of my daddy.

What I visualized was that when James and Juanita came home from school there would be nothing left of us and I was wondering what in the world they were going to do. I was She was scared to death. It is also my first memory of fear.

I guess along this line, really almost all of my early memories were about the Wilson Cemetery. We walked over there or by there almost daily. James and Bob would take marbles over there and sit by mama's grave and play or bury their marbles. Juanita and I took all of the broken dishes over there too. We thought the little flowers or colored pieces of glass were pretty, and to us it just seemed the thing to do.

Just in case my brother James does not mention it in his family history, I want to tell about him being in the school play after mama died. Of course I do not remember this, I was just told about it. Anyway, James had to recite a poem about an "angel coming and taking the mother away" and when he said it, all of the ladies started crying but he had really memorized his part and he never missed a line. Also there is a story about my brother, Bob, going to the Church Christmas Party and putting a piece of pie in his pocket to take home with him. He was just about five. He got a piece of Lemon Pie and he did not like it. He didn't know what else to do with it so he just stuck it in his pocket! Essie Rush, a family friend who came by once a week to clean the house and help with the wash, found it there the next week when doing the work.

I remember making ice cream during those early days. They used a wash tub with ice and salt. The men had to turn the bucket, which was nothing more than a syrup pail with a handle on it, and as it began to freeze, they would open lids and the women would scrape the sides as there was not even a paddle in the bucket. I also remember something about Joe Lewis fights being broadcast over the radio and we would always gather as a family to listen to the fight. I remember knowing that I was for Joe Lewis.

I remember the day James left for the Navy and I remember the day he came home. We shot the shotgun off on his return. The neighbors had a picnic at the Red Bud Park in Marlow in his honor and I felt the pride myself.

I know that my Dad was a great storyteller. He told us about swimming the rivers of Arkansas with Marshall and Jake there behind the Wolf House. He told about the wild turkeys and the hunting trips with Milam. That was our entertainment. He did not realize it at the time, but what he did for us by telling us over and over about his boyhood life, was preserve for us a piece of our heritage. I went to Arkansas in the summer of 1990, and walked down the to spot where the rivers forked behind the Wolf House, and felt the kindred spirit alive and well.

Daddy played the french harp and sang me to sleep. When I had the earache he would blow smoke into my ear. His favorite songs were "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" and "The Great Speckled Bird". Daddy had a special talent when growing things and his sons, James and Robert, inherited that from their dad. He knew when to prune the trees and plant the garden. He had "his" ways. He spent all of that time he had on his hands playing Sol and Dominos.

When I moved to Altus in 1960, Daddy moved with us. We had a garden, fruit trees, and roses. This became his mission in life along with his grand children.

I want to reflect on my first remembrances of my half-sisters and brother. I would go with Daddy to Coalgate when he went there on business. A friend, Essie Rush, would take us in her car. We would go on those occasions, to see Jenny, my half-sister, at Mrs. Henderson's, her grandmother's house. After Jenny married Vendal Laster and had her first child, Margaret, they came to Clarita to visit us. Once we met Arthur Young on the streets of Coalgate and he and Daddy talked for a time. Daddy told me who he was, and in my memory it seems that they were friendly toward each other. I do not recall any animosity between the two men. I have been told that several times Daddy tried to give Gay money for the children, but she always refused it. I also remember on these trips going to Hudson's Store and getting cups of ice cream and RC's After we moved to Marlow, my Daddy caught a bus to Coalgate to see Willie because he was drafted and going into the service in World War II. My first remembrance of Willie was after the war when he and his wife Dixie, Al, and Wathina came by our house to see us when they were on their way to California. I remember that Dixie cooked breakfast. We had home sugar-cured ham that Daddy had fixed. I know that we had the meat as a result of hog-killing time. Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Clefford came and brought Dorothy and Noreen in the fall for this event. My first remembrance of Lois is at my Daddy's funeral in Frederick.

As you can tell some of my memories are sad but not really, one can not change those permanent things like death that come with life. Most of my memories about my daddy are happy ones and that is the way it should be.