Jeanne Marie Oss

OSS — Jeanne Marie (Johnson), 91, was born in Colville, Wash., on March 31, 1928, and passed to her rest on April 26, 2019, in Hermiston, Ore. As a freshman at Walla Walla College, she answered an urgent mid-school-year request to teach 16 students in grades one through eight at Beacon Junior Academy in Lewiston, Idaho. Not only did this become one of her favorite work experiences, she met her future husband: Paul Oss, the son of the local pastor.

Jeanne worked as registrar at Loma Linda Academy and later as secretary of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine dean. Paul and Jeanne were married in 1950 and settled in Spokane, Wash. For nearly 40 years she was the bookkeeper and office manager for four family doctors. 

A lifelong Adventist, Jeanne often sang in the church choir and served as pianist, organist and clerk. Her gracious hospitality provided temporary housing and scores of home-cooked meals for pastors, evangelists, conference employees and teachers during her retirement years on Hayden Lake in Idaho. She joined three generations of the Oss family for a memorable Maranatha mission to India in 2004 to build two churches in remote villages.

Jeanne is survived by her husband of 68 years, Paul Oss of Hermiston, and four children and their spouses: Paula and Guy Oltman of Hermiston; Patricia Carroll of Hermiston; Karen and Steve Denmark of Salinas, Calif.; and John Oss of Spokane, Wash. She was “Grammy” to 9 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.