Ada Viena Strick

Ada, the daughter of William Fredrick and Violett Louise (Brown) Osborn was born at home in Haverhill, IA on November 14, 1940. She was the 9th child of a family of fourteen children. She graduated Baxter High School in 1959 and later attended cosmetology school. Ada enjoyed ceramics, macramé, sewing, cooking, gardening, canning, bowling, country dancing/music, camping with her family, cutting the hair of those she loved, babysitting her nieces and nephews, and gathering for family reunions. Most of all she loved being with her family and her sweet dachshunds.

Those left to honor Ada's memory are her husband, Walter; children, Eric (Kim), Traci (Trent), Terry, stepdaughters Tanya and Leanette; grandchildren, Taylor, Tyler, Daniel, and Josiah; step grandchildren, Aubrey, Andrea, Cory, Dominic and Alex; great-grandchild, Brandon; siblings, Chuck (Rachel) Osborn, Steve (Linda) Osborn, Mona (Bill-not living), Stan (Linda) Osborn, Shirley Hoyla, Patricia Anthony and Joseph (Kathy) Osborn; MANY precious nieces and nephews; and in-laws Theresa, Adeline, Henry, Roy, Jean, Jane and Danny.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Robert (Catherine-living), John (Jackie), Helen (Kenny), and James (Marsha-living) Osborn; sisters Leona and Maxine Osborn; and nieces (Connie Sue, Kathy Jo, and Michele) and nephew (Dale), and in-laws Agnes, Eileen, and Paul.

If individuals would like to honor mom by donating to a memorial fund, we would like for the obituary to contain a link that would point them to making an online donation to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Society.

Eulogy for Ada Viena Strick

My brother, Eric and I were lost in a sea of memories as we sifted through mom's treasured belongings last week. As he continued down memory lane looking at cards, pictures and mementos, I became intrigued by two poems I had found. I didn't take the time to read them at that moment.....knowing that my time was short. I decided to save them for future reading. As I was preparing mom's eulogy, I felt the urge to read the poems and realized why she might have kept them. I quickly called my Uncle Joe and confirmed that these poems had been read at his 12 year old daughter's funeral. My mother dearly loved Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy's daughter, Michele. Uncle Joe gave me permission to share the poems with you; this is the one I selected for today... to honor mom.

The family is like a book...
The children are the leaves...
The parents are the cover...
Protective beauty gives.

At first the pages if the book...
Are blanked purely fair...
But time soon writes memories...
And paints pictures there.

Love is the little golden clasp...
That bindery up the trust...
Oh, break it not lest all the leaves...
Shall scatter and be lost!

Of all the sights in the world,
nothing is so beautiful as a child when
it is giving something. A child gives
the world to you. It opens the world
to you as it were a book you'd never
been able to read. A child has so little
that it can give, because it never knows
it has given you everything.

My mom will be dearly missed by her beloved husband Walt. Mom was a loving wife who absolutely adored Walt. Mom cherished all three of her children and often said that they were the proudest accomplishments of her life. Mom also treasured each of her grandchildren. Those she loved have the distinct honor of carrying on her legacy of love, compassion, generosity, loyalty, humor and humility.

Mom grew up in a kind and loving family of 14 children. She honored her mother and father; she strived to make them proud. She would be the first to tell you that she did not live or lead a perfect life; in fact, when I was a child she often pointed out how hard I was on myself... she was always quick to say, "Traci.. Only one being walked the earth... that was perfect ...that was Jesus, God's son." You see, she knew I struggled with perfectionism... she didn't want that life for me.

Mom was a very simple woman all of her life; even though she went to cosmetology school, she never wore much makeup, never fussed over expensive material things, she was a simple woman--I mean that in the most honoring of ways. When it came to her faith and sharing her faith (planting seed in others)...she was very simple. She boiled things down to 3 simple truths....

1. She gently pointed out John 3:16 from time to time (as she did with me) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
2. She often would remind those she love of Matthew 22:34-40. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
3. God is love.. 1 John 4:8...Something she clinged to when hoping to plant seeds in others, "Anyone who does not love...does not know God, because God is love."

Mom was never preachy (unlike myself...sadly I've spent too much of my life complicating the Gospel). Mom's faith was simple, genuine, giving, vibrant, and even tempestuous at times. I believe and know that I will one day see her again, and she will be without pain and suffering.
Mom trusted Jesus and her Lord and Savior at a young age; she was baptized at about 17 years of age. Before marrying Walt, mom fully surrendered her life to Christ when she was baptized into the Catholic Faith. Soon after being baptized, she attended an Ash Wednesday service whereupon she called me immediately afterwards and said..."Traci, I get it, I get it...As the priest was placing ashes upon my head I realized something!" I said, "Mama, what was that?" She said, "That if I were the only person on this earth...Jesus would have died for me. That's how much HE LOVES ME!"

We both burst out in tears...realizing that while Mama loves everyone else SOOO well... somewhere along the way she had believed a lie. The lie that a lot of us have believed at some point in our lives...that she was unlovable. What a lie...a sad lie... We all know hoe LOVEABLE she was, Jesus knew how lovable she was, Walt knew how loveable she was... BUT she didn't know how lovable she was; she had been humble to a fault.

Being married to Walt and recognizing her worth in Christ helped her bloom in ways that were awe inspiring. She had always felt like an underdog...unworthy... unlovable...not really chosen. Suddenly, she had love for herself which seemed to unlock the door to her receiving love from others, God's love, and even Walt's love. Mom and Walt's love for each other was one of the most beautiful expressions of Christ's love I have ever seen. They would have been married 20 years this coming October. Their example of love, marriage and selflessness will inspire her loved ones for years to come. She leaves a legacy...a beautiful legacy...not a perfect legacy, but a real, genuine, heartfelt, honest legacy.

Mama?
You're home, you're home!
I love you so much! I love you so much!

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