Albert Osterman

Al loved to do whatever he could to put people at ease. He was always there for his family and friends, ready to lend a hand in whatever way he could. No matter where he was or what he was doing, it was sure that Al and anyone around him was having a good time.

As America entered an age of conservatism after World War II, Stanley and Luella (Crawford) Osterman were preparing for the birth of their second child. Stanley worked at Georgia Pacific as a mule driver. He was also a volunteer fire fighter for Texas Township. Luella, meanwhile, was a Jane of all trades. As a young mother she worked at the paper mill, a hotel, a home cleaning service, and a bakery.

Stanley and Luella welcomed their son Albert on June 1, 1954. He would be their first and only son, though Luella would give birth to two more children. After having three children in as many years, Luella decided to give up her careers to stay home with her children. Al, as the second oldest of the four Osterman children, grew up with his sisters in Kalamazoo. Throughout his childhood, Al loved participating in sports at Mattawan Schools. In baseball, he usually played outfield, while in football, he was the ultimate lineman. Al was also involved with the boy scouts for several years. He even worked at Camp Roto-Kiwan as a cook during one of his summer breaks from school.

Though Al did get into a little trouble from time to time, everyone knew he was a kindhearted kid. Unlike most boys, Al chose to earn his spending money by babysitting. He loved any opportunity to entertain little kids, and even babysat more than any of his sisters. As the only boy in the family, Al liked spending time with his dad as well. They were both full of energy and loved any excuse to fish. At Mattawan High School, Al discovered a love for making things with his hands. He loved art class, especially working with clay. Shop, too, was among Al’s favorite classes because he got to fashion all sorts of things using imagination and his own two hands.

Just before graduating from Mattawan High in 1974, Al was introduced to a girl named Sharon Caldwell. She attended beauty school with Al’s sister, Cindy. All three of his sisters liked Sharon and in the Fall of 1973 they started dating. They hit it off right away, and through conversation discovered that even their fathers were friends.

Al enlisted in the Navy in March of 1975. Shortly thereafter, he and Sharon married. They had a simple ceremony at United Methodist Church in Portage on May 31, 1975. After boot camp, Al took Sharon on a honeymoon . . .of sorts. Since Al’s family had long waited to go on a fishing trip with him, Al decided to combine the honeymoon with the family fishing trip to Tippy Dam. Sharon was not really an outdoors woman. Though Al tried to teach her to fish, the only thing she caught were trees. She never did learn to fish. Instead, she spent most of her time in her private camper reading books and magazines.

Following the “honeymoon,” Al spent 2 years in active duty, followed by 8 years in active reserve, which he spent assigned to the USS Connole. Al lived with Sharon on Naval bases in both Norfolk and Seaford, Virginia, where he was a painter. The couple moved back to Kalamazoo after Al completed his service. Following his 2 years in the Navy, Al began working at Grand Rapids Sash and Door, a Schoolcraft area business that manufactured windows and doors.

Al and Sharon rented a place for a while, but in 1979, they decided to buy a home at 3616 Adams Street. Al wasted no time making his new house feel like a home. Al, who was known for being a pack-rat, always had piles of clothes cluttered around the bed. He also liked to kickback and relax in his Lazy-boy recliner. Daisy, his cocker spaniel, could usually be found snoozing in his lap. Al, too, often fell asleep in his chair listening to the country music channel on television. Some of his favorite artists were Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band, Credence Clear Water, Eagles, The Who, and the Beatles. But Al’s favorite kind of music was that played by his wife Sharon and his daughter Amanda. He could listen endlessly to Sharon as she played beautiful melodies on piano, or Amanda as she practiced the flute.

Al’s nicknames for Amanda were “Little Girl”, “Zeek” and “Kid.” They shared an amazing relationship. Every year, they went to the Kalamazoo County Fair Grounds to see the tractor pulls and monster trucks. They were even CB buddies. Al gave Amanda invaluable advice during their afternoons together, like telling her that a glass bottle of Mountain Dew was the best thing on a truck ride home after a long, tiresome day. He enjoyed teaching Amanda other important life lessons as well. “Say you’re sorry and mean it when you are,” he said. “And say I love you every time someone leaves so that it’s the last thing they hear until the next time they see you.” Al and Sharon also taught Amanda the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would want done unto you. Al was very active at Oakwood Bible Church and loved including Amanda in his faith. His faith was quiet but was shared with his friends and family. He also shared with Amanda his love of sports. He taught Amanda how to fish and play basketball. Al loved fishing and camping. He fished whenever and wherever – whether winter or summer, whether on streams or in the big lake. Al always had time to fish with anyone, especially Amanda. They would spend a lot of time shooting hoops together in the driveway as well. Amanda got so good at basketball that she made the school team in Junior High. Al was incredibly proud of her.

In 1994, Al left his job at Grand Rapids Sash and Door in favor of a position at Select Millwork, located on “D” Avenue. Al loved his job and his friends. He was always known as the jokester and would do just about anything for a laugh. He would also eat just about anything, the only exceptions being pineapple and watermelon.

Christmas was Al’s favorite time of year, a time when food, friends, and family all came together. And of course, he loved the chance to open presents as well. Every year he would wake up bright and early Christmas morning and spend the entire day making wonderful memories with his family.

Al was diagnosed with a brain tumor February 25, 1998. He underwent radiation and chemo, followed by surgery in August of 2000. Amazingly, he went into remission. Though he could no longer work or drive because of seizures, Al continued to live life to its fullest. His thoughts were somewhat out of sequence after the tumor, yet he remained upbeat and ready to tease, joke, and laugh more than ever.

In November of 2004, Al was diagnosed with cancer in his pancreas. Even with his thoughts out of sorts, Al knew what this meant. And, as his favorite time of year approached, he remained determined to share one last Christmas with the people he loved. Al will always be remembered by those who were blessed to know him.

Albert “Al” Osterman died December 26, 2004 at his home. He was preceded in death by his parents and by a nephew Andrew Kimmerly. Members of Al’s family include his wife of 29 years, Sharon Osterman; a daughter Amanda (Kevin) England of Kalamazoo; 2 grand-daughters, Alexis Rae and Mikayla Mae; 3 sisters, Carol (Tom) Mann of Portage, Cindy (Glenn) Kimmerly of Niles, and Connie (Ron) Stephenson of Portage; mother-in-law Beverly Caldwell; sister-in-law Fran (Ron) Slaughter of Battle Creek and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Learn more about Al, view his Life Story film, and visit with his family and friends on Tuesday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Betzler Life Story Funeral Home™ - Kalamazoo. A Life Story Service will be held Wednesday 11:00 a.m. at the same location with a luncheon following at the Oakwood Bible Church. Please visit Al’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a favorite memory, order flowers, or make a memorial contribution to Hospice Care of South West Michigan or West Michigan Cancer Center.

“I had a lot of fun growing up,” Al told his wife Sharon in his last weeks, “and I had a good life.”