School & Community News

Marilyn (Osby) Cravens obit

Cravens, Marilyn Jean (Osby)

Age 77, recently of Mpls., died October 14, 2008. Preceded in death by husband John Cravens; parents Rasmus and Irene (Peterson) Osby.

Born November 7, 1930 in Faribault, Marilyn spent her youth in Blooming Prairie. Her mother’s family were early pioneers. Grandfather Albert A Peterson was postmaster of Blooming Prairie and installed the first telephone system in the region. The family were members of the Norwegian Lutheran Church.

Marilyn was a sales girl at the local dress shop while attending Blooming Prairie High School, graduating in 1948. After high school, she ventured to Minneapolis to attend the Northwestern Hospital School of Nursing. She spent many years as company nurse for Federal Cartridge while raising her family in Anoka Minnesota.

When the children were grown, Marilyn moved to Scottsdale, AZ to be near her aged parents. She remained in there for many years, but never forgot her Minnesota heritage. She was a proud Norwegian American, and made a pilgrimage to the Old Country to visit the ancestral farmstead. She was known for her intelligence, wit and love of Lake Superior's North Shore.

Marilyn leaves behind her sister, Diane (Jack) Peterson; children, Chuck (Nancy), Paul (Sue), Lee (Rebecca), Tom (Shelley) and Carole Cravens (Guy); 7 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild; extended family and friends. Prefer memorials to donor's choice of charity. Memorial service to be announced later.