John Chambers Osmond, Jr

John was born in Germantown, Philadelphia, PA. As a boy he loved exploring the woods and ponds near his house. His mother often said he would come home from exploring covered with mud and a couple of turtles in his pocket. His favorite saying was ""Like a herd of purple turtles in a mud hole."" He and his father were close; they spent hours looking for mineral specimens in the non-working mines and hillsides of Pennsylvania, displaying those in a mineral case and trading them with the Smithsonian Institute. From those experiences he developed his love of geology and his decision to be a geologist. He studied geology at the University of Texas in Austin, but his studies were interrupted by WW II. He served in the US Army, Company C, 410th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Division 1943-1945 in the US and Europe. After the war, John returned to the University of Texas and earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1947. He was President of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. John married Nancy Huff, a fellow UT graduate, in Wichita Falls, Texas and moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming where he earned his Masters of Science in Geology from the University of Wyoming. They then moved to New York where his son Robert N. Osmond (Donna) (Newcastle, WA) was born and he received his Doctorate in Geology from Columbia University. He and Nancy made their home in Salt Lake City, Utah where he worked for Gulf Oil Company until he became an independent consultant. In 1965 John traveled throughout the US as a lecturer and recognized expert on the geology of the Uintah Basin for the Geological Distinguished Lecture Series presented by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He was published in many scientific journals, with his latest publication in the Journal of Sedimentary Research 2006. He served as president of the Utah Geological Society and Intermountain Association of Petroleum Geologists. He and Nancy Huff divorced in 1969. In 1970, John married June Marie Brown and gained stepdaughters Claudia Brown (Longmont, CO), Vicki Al-hamoodah (Boulder, CO), stepson Fred Brown (Tonya) (Castle Pines, CO), and by adoption another son, Kirk Osmond (Tina) (Chugiak, AK). John and June then moved to Tiburon, California where he served as Vice President of PG&E. After a move to Denver Colorado, he resumed being an independent consultant until his retirement at age 90. John always liked the ocean and the beach. Some of his favorite stories were of taking a toy ship with his parents and playing with his sister Bea in the waves. He loved to body surf in Newport Beach, California on annual vacations. He loved sailing and would rent sailboats when on vacation. He also liked playing tennis and played for most of his life. He was always quick with a joke and a smile to make those around him feel good and laugh. John and June both loved to travel. Some of their favorite vacations were taking cruises to Europe, Greece, and Alaska. They also loved to attend operas in Central City, CO, enjoy the theater, listen to The Denver Brass, visit the Denver Botanical Gardens, and entertain family and friends at their lovely home. John was a keen competitor at the game Trivial Pursuit, amazing his grandkids and great-grandkids at his range of knowledge. We will all miss him a great deal. John was preceded in death by his parents, Eva Buckman and John Chambers Osmond, Sr. and by his wife, June Marie. He is survived by his sister, Beatrice Millar (Grass Valley, CA), his sons, his step-son, his step-daughters, and his grandchildren: Elise Thomas (Karl), Janeen Hathcock (Josh), Ethan Cardwell (Marjorie), Devin Dolphin, Leila Al-Hamoodah, Tiffany Osmond, John Wilson Osmond, John Alan Osmond (Ashley). Also surviving are nine great-grandchildren. We greatly appreciate Veronica Pinon for her dedication and exceptional level of caregiving, along with the staff at Balfour. John had requested that there be no memorial. Please consider donating to The Denver Brass or Denver Botanical Gardens, or a charity of your choice.