Osea Boone

Madison- Osea Bedonna (Arney) Boone, 100 years young, passed away peacefully on May 23, 2015, at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg. Osea, the second of Ethel and Orsen Arney's five children, was born on February 18, 1915, on her grandparents' farm in Mt. Moriah, Missouri. As a child, she followed her older sister Lura to the area's one-room schoolhouse. Eventually, she was allowed to start her education very early with the older children. As a child, Osea also enjoyed riding her pony to school, playing with her cousins Clyde and Lois and helping her mother with household chores, which were arduous at that time.

The Arney family briefly lived in Atwood, Kansas before moving to Battle Creek, Michigan. Osea graduated from high school in Battle Creek and then worked as a bookkeeper to earn money for college. It was at Marion Wesleyan College in Marion, Indiana, where she met Donald Boone, descendant of the Daniel Boone family, of Stone Lake, Wisconsin. Donald courted her, but Osea turned him down because she was a very serious student and wanted an education. She earned a B.A. in English.

Undeterred, Donald wrote Osea from the South Pacific during WWII ostensibly to request information on their college friends. Romance bloomed through this wartime correspondence. Osea and Donald were married on January 18, 1947, in Battle Creek.

The couple moved to Madison after Donald was hired as a professor by UW-Madison where he did research on cranberry cultivation. Their three children, Gloria, Cynthia and Donald Jr., were born in Madison.

Osea was an accomplished seamstress and lovingly sewed for her children, grandchildren and all of their dolls. She loved to knit sweaters, mittens and afghans to give as gifts. She left a legacy of recipes, many of which were scribbled in shorthand after overhearing them on the bus. Osea excelled in all things cranberry. One Thanksgiving, her children recall, she served 23 different cranberry dishes. She also made "craisins" before they were marketed in stores by drying cranberries on their household steam radiators.

Osea and Donald loved camping and traveling abroad with their children. They continued their love of other cultures by sponsoring foreign students from the University of Wisconsin.

A voracious reader, Osea especially delighted in reading stories aloud to her grandchildren. She gave each character a special voice and made the stories come alive. She also led a Russian Fairy Tale adult reading group and organized a French Club.

It was not until the 60's that Osea realized she needed to drive. At about age 50, she took driving lessons through MATC and was able to drive her children around Madison during their early teens.

Osea is survived by her children: Gloria Boone (Bob Pellegrino) of Madison, Cynthia (Boone) Walley (Jim) of Leavenworth, Kansas and Donald Boone (Joan), of Custer, South Dakota; grandchildren: Madelaine deWinkel, Madison, Case de Winkel, Sun Prairie, Jennifer (Walley) Upton (Shane), Lee's Summit, Missouri, Erin (Walley) Ford (Eric), Wahoo, Nebraska, and Jamie Walley, Leavenworth, Kansas; great-grandchildren: Langley Upton, Rylan Upton, Skylar Ford, Bekah Ford and Emily Ford; siblings: Loren Arney, Michigan, Colene (Arney) Helsby, Florida, and Lawrence Arney, Michigan.

Osea was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 55 years, Donald, an infant daughter, Nancy Jean, her parents Ethel and Orsen, and sister, Lura Main.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on June 5, 2015, in Spooner, Wisconsin at Spooner Wesleyan Church, 1100 W. Maple St. Following the service, Osea will be committed to the earth next to Donald at Northwest Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Spooner,Wisconsin.

The family thanks caregivers at Wynwood of Madison, Clare Bridge of Middleton and Agrace Hospice of Fitchburg. Memorials in Osea's name may be made to Agrace Hospice of Fitchburg or Indiana Wesleyan University.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
(608) 238-3434