Neil Joseph Osmer

Neil Joseph Osmer was born January 22, 1959, to Frank and Norine Murphy Osmer in Watsonville and died September 29, 2023, in Petaluma. He attended Moreland Notre Dame, E.A. Hall and Watsonville High schools. He spent his youth on Roosevelt Street and formed many lasting friendships.

Neil was the first to smile and laugh and was generous to friends and strangers alike. You'll find his picture in the dictionary under "authentic." He read and loved music and the outdoors. Like his mother before him, he was a lover of flowers, plants, and trees. Many were the neighborhood front gardens that gave up a spare rose so Neil could get a smile out of the person he was thinking of.

In 1997 he married Maryellen Redding. They were formidable event caterers, and serving people was a source of real enjoyment. They are of that class of people the Wizard would call "good deeds doers." Theirs was a love that stuck hard even when life became very difficult.

He was possessed of strong opinions and had no trouble stating them. He was a master of American curses and recognizable in any crowd.

He moved to Marin County in 1984 where he continued treatment from drugs and alcohol at Forest Farms. Neil was an active member of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. He helped many along the recovery road as he was helped by so many. He was well-known and well-traveled in Marin, West Marin and Sonoma.

People in the Northern California Handball communities know Neil from his play in Watsonville, the Bay Area, Petaluma, and beyond. He was feared on the court for his tenacity, volume, and sportsmanship. He's been described as the "heartbeat" of the aptly named Petaluma April Fools Handball Tournament at the PVAC. These tournaments were as much culinary experiences as sport. After retiring from handball, he found a community of swimmers at the now Active Club.

Neil was a lover, he loved hard, resolutely, and Loud. His love language was food and sending cards. His many nieces, nephews, and greats (each one his favorite) as well as hundreds of friends and loved ones received cards and letters of support, admiration, and love. His local friends and neighbors were the fortunate recipients of the edible love language and their waistlines to prove it.

Neil and Maryellen settled in Petaluma, CA in 1996 and built a life that hosted many dinners, holidays, parties and drop ins. They nurtured the lives of many fur babies and fed an innumerable number of Hummingbirds. Neil dies as he lived, loudly. He was flanked by his cherished wife, Maryellen and their beloved friend and neighbor, Jobbie Spillane in the early morning hours of September 29, 2023.

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday November 24, 2023 from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Tomales Town Hall, 27150 Main St. Tomales, CA 94971. If you wish to make a charitable donation in his name, here is a link to one of his favorite organizations, Canine Companions (https://p2p.onecause.com/tributegift/donate).

Published in The Pajaronian · November 7, 2023