Beloved grandmother, longtime CUSD employee

Bettie Jean Hungerbeeler Osborne died peacefully on February 9 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Bettie was born June 5, 1938 in Shreveport, Louisiana. She moved with her family to Claremont in 1972. In 2019, she moved to Florida to live closer to her eldest daughter.

She and her family were long-time members of the First Baptist Church of Pomona and the co-ed Sunday school class, where they made lifelong friends. She was the owner of Tall Fashions of Pomona in the 1970s and early ‘80s, and then worked for decades in the Claremont Unified School District in various roles helping students and teachers. She was also an ardent volunteer in the schools, her community, and the church.

“Bettie loved to read, do puzzles, play bunco, and decorate her home for Christmas,” her family shared. “She made everyone feel at home when they visited. She spent most of her time caring for her family and loving on her grandchildren.”

She is survived by her children, Deborah Wantlin, Wiley Osborne, Jr., and Cynthia Osborne Blaha, and their spouses; eleven grandchildren; and her brother Col. (Ret.) Henry Lee Hungerbeeler and his family.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Wiley L. Osborne, Sr., as well as her sisters Carmie Roberson and Anne Baker, and their parents Julius “Lee” and Carmie (Hansen) Hungerbeeler.

A service in her honor will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 22 at Oak Park Cemetery, 410 Sycamore Ave., Claremont, CA 91711. She will be laid to rest beside her husband.