1962 – 2023

On Nov. 20, 2023, Lisa Carol Laird Osborne slipped the chains of her earthly toils and went Home, to be with her many friends and family, and rejoice forever in the presence of her Lord and Savior.

She passed away so peacefully after a short, but brave and gracious, battle with cancer with her husband, Clark, and loving caregiver, Sabrina, at her side.

Born to James (Jim) and Ellen, Lisa Carol Laird entered this World on February 8, 1962, in Beaumont, Texas. Two years later, Jim, Ellen, Lisa and her sister, Debbie, moved to nearby Houston, where Lisa grew up and later graduated from Milby High School in 1980.

Lisa’s father, Jim, owned and operated a television repair shop, which may explain Lisa’s interest in electronics.

When he later retired and moved to Leona, Texas, Lisa soon followed. Many of you will remember Lisa from the years that she worked for Mr. Burtis, at Burtis Drugstore.

As chance would have it, Lisa met a local boy, Richard Clark Osborne, on a group date in the Summer of 1983. For him, it was love at first sight, she took a little more convincing, but not too much. Three short months later, the two decided to elope and were married on Sept. 12, 1983; and the fairy tale began.

In the early years, Lisa and Clark were extremely close — that tends to happen when you live in an 8’ x 36’ travel trailer! With Lisa working and Clark finishing his Computer Science degree at Texas A&M University, money was tight, but they had each other. Weekdays were spent working and most weekends found the two in Leona, with Lisa’s parents. When folks found out that Jim could work on televisions, Ellen made him build a shop, in order to reclaim her kitchen counters.

This was at the time when satellite television first became popular and, since Jim and Clark were both “techies”, they started installing satellite systems.

Lisa later changed jobs and worked for several years for Ann Minze, CPA. With Clark now working for Texas A&M, the two could finally get to work on a larger house; and a larger family. Sadly, Jim passed away a few months before they were blessed with their first son, Timothy Michael Osborne (aka Scooter), on Nov. 5, 1986.

A few months after Scooter’s birth, Lisa’s mother, Ellen, joined Jim. Neither of them saw Lisa and Clark’s second bundle of joy, Jonathan Morgan Osborne (aka Johnny), who was born on Feb.12, 1991.

Lisa was always such a loving mother and devoted wife. She was always there for countless Little League games, football games, track meets and wrestling matches, all while working and maintaining a loving home for all three of her “boys”. No one ever doubted the love and devotion that she had for her family, it was plain to see.

Meanwhile, Clark had left his job at A&M and opened High Tech Toys.

Starting out with satellite systems, it wasn’t long before cellular phones and all sorts of other electronic gadgets were added to the mix.

Lisa soon took over the store, where she helped to calm the techno-fears of so many people.

Lisa always had a knack for explaining the technical stuff, in a language that didn’t fly right over the top of someone’s head.

She could make things sound so simple. And, as many of you know, it was a lot more enjoyable dealing with her, instead of the customer service reps for the cellular or satellite customers. She dealt with those idiots, so we didn’t have to.

Throughout the years, Lisa was always serving her family, her customers and her community. When folks were in need, you could count on Lisa being there, whether it was with food, as a caregiver or with a hug and a smile. She was also always there, behind the scenes, supporting Clark and her sons, in all they did. It didn’t matter whether it was work, endless hours of hog hunting, barbeque cookoffs or cemetery work, Lisa could be found, holding down the fort. She was also a huge supporter of the men and women in our Fire Departments, Law Enforcement and our Armed Forces.

A little later in life, after the boys had left the nest, Lisa discovered another interest, thanks to her nieces, Lauren and Sarah…the world of Geocaching. For those of you not familiar with the term, just think of it like the World’s largest electronic scavenger hunt.

She travelled near and far, from every county in Texas, to over half of the states in this Country, to the United Kingdom, Canada and all places in between. Since she started in August of 2017, Lisa logged almost 38,000 finds, which is no small feat. She met SO many people and, just like she did at home, she spread love and smiles everywhere she went.

Lisa faced the final chapter of her life with incredible courage, dignity and grace. No matter what, she always made the best of any situation, preferring to spend her final days at home, with her family. While her days may have been cut short, the good Lord blessed her by making them pain free. We miss her dearly but we know that she is healed.

Lisa was preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Ellen Laird of Leona, Texas; her sister, Debbie Laird Sawey, of Brenham, Texas.

Lisa is survived by her loving husband, Clark Osborne, of Madisonville; son, Scooter Osborne, of Huntsville, Texas; son, Johnny Osborne, of Conroe, Texas along with many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A funeral service celebrating the life of Lisa Osborne was held 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, at Fannin Oaks Event Venue, Madisonville, Texas. Pastor Wade Phillips officiated the service. Mrs. Osborne was laid to rest in Madisonville Cemetery, Madisonville, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Madisonville Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 486, Madisonville, Texas 77864 or Rufus Refuge, P.O. Box 1385, Madisonville, Texas 77864.

Pallbearers were Justin Dartez, Donnie Douget, Carl Gerhart, Allan Mandell, Derek Manning, Forrest Parks, Tom Rasmussen, Vince Rowe. Honorary Pallbearers were Vance Ballard, Marc Blackmore, JC Davis, Ronnie Dartez, Mitch Dill, Mickie Fite, Justin Henson, Bill Lynch, Ray Forman, Larry Willis Jr., Harold Gene Wells.

Arrangements were under the direction of Madisonville Funeral Home, Madisonville, Texas.