Allan Frederick Osberg
Died
Allan Frederick Osberg
After an extraordinary life focused on family, industry, adventure, and service, Allan Frederick Osberg passed away peacefully in his sleep March 14, 2019 in the home he shared with his wife of 65 years, Inger Osberg.
Allan was born July 25, 1924 in Seattle to Axel and Hilma Osberg, who both immigrated from Sweden in their youth. Allan's mother was part of the large Olson family in Mount Vernon, and his father came to the United States at 16 and built a construction company from the ground up.
Growing up, Allan and his brother John enjoyed summers in company logging camps. Allan often said it was the best growing up experience a boy could ever hope for. The family moved often when he was young but returned to Seattle, where Allan graduated with honors and perfect grades from Lincoln High School in 1942.
He attended the University of Washington from 1942 to 1945, where he received the president's medal and graduated Summa Cum Laude in Civil Engineering. After earning a masters in soil mechanics from Harvard University, with honors, he joined the family firm.
Osberg Construction Company built everything from roads and bridges to marinas and high-end housing in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Montana. Allan was a successful entrepreneur and an innovator in his field. The Yukon River Bridge in Alaska was one of the company's engineering triumphs. Allan loved his work, and served as President of the company since 1958. He went to the office every day until his passing. His expertise, business acumen and leadership skills were legendary in the construction business.
An active leader in the Associated General Contractors (AGC), Allan served 2 terms as the Seattle Chapter President, and also served as the first President of the Mountain Pacific Chapter when it was formed.
In 1952 he met his future wife, Inger, in Seattle. Love blossomed even though she was Norwegian and he an avowed first-generation Swede. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past January at the Swedish Club, complete with an imported family band from Alaska that they had heard on a cruise just last year.
They loved to travel, and have a map in their Lake Forest Park home with hundreds of pins noting every place they visited. Allan particularly loved Antarctica, and visited the continent 7 times over his life. They went to every state and numerous countries throughout the world.
At 17, Allan, his brother and his cousin helped build a cabin near Skykomish on the Miller River. The family spent many summer weekends hiking, or just relaxing by the river with a book or a game. He taught his children Kimberley and Thomas astronomy sitting on an old fallen log at the river's edge.
Allan and Inger have been generous, both as a family and through the family trust with his brother John, in supporting many Northwest organizations, including the Woodland Park Zoo, the Seattle Aquarium, Artsfund, Seattle Symphony, PBS and Channel 9, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, the Nature Conservancy, Mountain to Sound Greenway, Central Washington University, Washington State University, the University of Washington, and the Nordic Museum, to name but a few.
Allan regularly said he found donating money to be a lot more fun than making it. Several of his achievements stand out. One was the preservation and reinvention of the Olson family farmhouse and farm in Mount Vernon for use as student housing for WSU Extension students. Another was his ongoing funding of both a professorship and a graduate student scholarship in the College of Engineering at UW.
Allan's crowning philanthropic achievement was his work as President of the Nordic Heritage Museum board. He worked closely with CEO Eric Nelson and many supporters in the Nordic community in driving the metamorphosis of the Nordic Heritage Museum from a local museum housed in a former elementary school to a newly recognized National Nordic Museum housed in an award-winning structure on Market St. in Ballard. The design, construction and overarching operational vision of the museum were near and dear to his heart. The Osberg Great Hall is dedicated to his parents, and is a beautiful, wood-lined environment that evokes the humble beginnings of the family in the logging industry. To honor Allan's legacy, the Nordic Museum has created a new Allan Osberg Award for Distinguished Service, which will be given to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary leadership and commitment to the Museum and the broader Nordic community of the Pacific Northwest.
Other honors include the University of Washington's Diamond Award for Distinguished Service in 2017, the Swedish Council of America's Great Achievement Award in 2016, AGC's Distinguished Service Award in 2010, the AGC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, and induction to the UW Construction Hall of Fame in 1998. He and his wife are also UW Laureates.
Allan is survived by his wife Inger Osberg, daughter Kimberley Osberg Lippman, son Thomas Osberg, brother John Osberg, nephews Grant and Scott Osberg, granddaughter Sophia and cousins John Gustafson and his wife Mary and Joan Groom and her husband Ross.
In lieu of flowers, please consider following in Allan's footsteps with a donation to the Nordic Museum or a . There will be no service but plans for a celebration of life at the Museum are under consideration. Please share memories and Sign Allan's Guest Book at www.Legacy.com
After an extraordinary life focused on family, industry, adventure, and service, Allan Frederick Osberg passed away peacefully in his sleep March 14, 2019 in the home he shared with his wife of 65 years, Inger Osberg.
Allan was born July 25, 1924 in Seattle to Axel and Hilma Osberg, who both immigrated from Sweden in their youth. Allan's mother was part of the large Olson family in Mount Vernon, and his father came to the United States at 16 and built a construction company from the ground up.
Growing up, Allan and his brother John enjoyed summers in company logging camps. Allan often said it was the best growing up experience a boy could ever hope for. The family moved often when he was young but returned to Seattle, where Allan graduated with honors and perfect grades from Lincoln High School in 1942.
He attended the University of Washington from 1942 to 1945, where he received the president's medal and graduated Summa Cum Laude in Civil Engineering. After earning a masters in soil mechanics from Harvard University, with honors, he joined the family firm.
Osberg Construction Company built everything from roads and bridges to marinas and high-end housing in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Montana. Allan was a successful entrepreneur and an innovator in his field. The Yukon River Bridge in Alaska was one of the company's engineering triumphs. Allan loved his work, and served as President of the company since 1958. He went to the office every day until his passing. His expertise, business acumen and leadership skills were legendary in the construction business.
An active leader in the Associated General Contractors (AGC), Allan served 2 terms as the Seattle Chapter President, and also served as the first President of the Mountain Pacific Chapter when it was formed.
In 1952 he met his future wife, Inger, in Seattle. Love blossomed even though she was Norwegian and he an avowed first-generation Swede. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past January at the Swedish Club, complete with an imported family band from Alaska that they had heard on a cruise just last year.
They loved to travel, and have a map in their Lake Forest Park home with hundreds of pins noting every place they visited. Allan particularly loved Antarctica, and visited the continent 7 times over his life. They went to every state and numerous countries throughout the world.
At 17, Allan, his brother and his cousin helped build a cabin near Skykomish on the Miller River. The family spent many summer weekends hiking, or just relaxing by the river with a book or a game. He taught his children Kimberley and Thomas astronomy sitting on an old fallen log at the river's edge.
Allan and Inger have been generous, both as a family and through the family trust with his brother John, in supporting many Northwest organizations, including the Woodland Park Zoo, the Seattle Aquarium, Artsfund, Seattle Symphony, PBS and Channel 9, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, the Nature Conservancy, Mountain to Sound Greenway, Central Washington University, Washington State University, the University of Washington, and the Nordic Museum, to name but a few.
Allan regularly said he found donating money to be a lot more fun than making it. Several of his achievements stand out. One was the preservation and reinvention of the Olson family farmhouse and farm in Mount Vernon for use as student housing for WSU Extension students. Another was his ongoing funding of both a professorship and a graduate student scholarship in the College of Engineering at UW.
Allan's crowning philanthropic achievement was his work as President of the Nordic Heritage Museum board. He worked closely with CEO Eric Nelson and many supporters in the Nordic community in driving the metamorphosis of the Nordic Heritage Museum from a local museum housed in a former elementary school to a newly recognized National Nordic Museum housed in an award-winning structure on Market St. in Ballard. The design, construction and overarching operational vision of the museum were near and dear to his heart. The Osberg Great Hall is dedicated to his parents, and is a beautiful, wood-lined environment that evokes the humble beginnings of the family in the logging industry. To honor Allan's legacy, the Nordic Museum has created a new Allan Osberg Award for Distinguished Service, which will be given to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary leadership and commitment to the Museum and the broader Nordic community of the Pacific Northwest.
Other honors include the University of Washington's Diamond Award for Distinguished Service in 2017, the Swedish Council of America's Great Achievement Award in 2016, AGC's Distinguished Service Award in 2010, the AGC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, and induction to the UW Construction Hall of Fame in 1998. He and his wife are also UW Laureates.
Allan is survived by his wife Inger Osberg, daughter Kimberley Osberg Lippman, son Thomas Osberg, brother John Osberg, nephews Grant and Scott Osberg, granddaughter Sophia and cousins John Gustafson and his wife Mary and Joan Groom and her husband Ross.
In lieu of flowers, please consider following in Allan's footsteps with a donation to the Nordic Museum or a . There will be no service but plans for a celebration of life at the Museum are under consideration. Please share memories and Sign Allan's Guest Book at www.Legacy.com
Source: Seattle Times
Published on: 07-04-2019