Cleo Cletta Perry Osterman, a fifth-generation Texan, was born to Lillie Carl Dunn and George Madison Perry on June 3, 1918, in a dug-out house in the Texas Panhandle (Terry County). When a toddler, her family returned to Hamilton, Texas, in a wagon pulled by two mules. Cleo graduated from tenth grade at the Blue Ridge School in 1935, and then roomed with a family in nearby Hamilton to finish her education at Hamilton High School. She attended North Texas State Teachers College in Denton, Texas, for two years before teaching for one year (1942-43) in a rural schoolhouse in Aleman, Texas. As part of the War effort, Cleo followed three of her siblings to Brazoria County and worked for Dow Chemical as an Administrative Assistant in the Caustic Department. Cleo continued to work for Dow until 1954. After the War, she met G. Frank Osterman on a double date on Halloween 1950; they were later united in marriage at the First Methodist Church of Lake Jackson on December 8, 1951. She and Frank moved into their home in Lake Jackson on February 22, 1954. Their union was blessed with a daughter in May 1954 and with identical twin sons in August 1956. Cleo was a wonderful cook and talented dressmaker. She taught Sunday school at First Methodist and took part in the PTA at A.P. Beutel Elementary. She returned to the workforce briefly in the mid-1970's as a bookkeeper. She and Frank enjoyed trips to San Francisco, Hawaii, and Finland. Cleo also traveled to the Far East with her son David. Frank passed quickly in early 2004 of leukemia and told Cleo that he would be waiting for her at the Pearly Gates to hold the door open for her. Cleo continued to live in their Lake Jackson home under the amazing care of her son David. They enjoyed trips to Italy and Manhattan, family reunions in Hamilton, and visits from family and friends. Cleo experienced sudden death at home on the morning of Monday, January 14, 2013, but was revived and died peacefully at Brazosport Hospital in Lake Jackson at 10:04pm with her daughter at her side. Cleo was pre-deceased by her parents, her husband, five brothers, two sisters, and three nephews.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Debra and Stan Chwalek, of Cypress, Texas; son, David Osterman; and grandpuppies, Buffy and Bella, of Lake Jackson; son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Terry Delgado Osterman, of Sugar Land, Texas. and Farnborough, England; stepgrandson and family, Michael, Karen, and Greta Bagg, of Vancouver, B.C.; and stepgranddaughter and family, Kathryn, John, and Grider Miller, of Manhattan Beach, California. Other survivors include nieces, Pat Perry Hatinger, of Richardson, Texas, Jane Brown and Saundra Lengefeld, of Hamilton, Elizabeth Butts, of Carrollton, Georgia, Peggy LeCompte, of Danbury, Jean Helsem, of Dallas, Texas, and Betty Riba, of Chula Vista, California; nephews, Jim Perry, of Arlington, Texas, Vergel Perry, of Lake Jackson, Don Perry, of Cedar Park, Texas, Dean Perry, of Grand Prairie, Texas, Johnny Ford, Dr. Lee Osterman, of Villanova, Pennsylvania; sister-in-law, Frances Perry, of Grand Prairie, Texas; double-cousins, Bob Perry, Wanda Burns, Oleta Wallace, and Margene Couland; first cousin, Jackie Nell Proffitt, of Cedar Park, Texas; dear friends Mary and Bobby Boucher, of Lake Jackson and Eunice and Bill Gary, of Frederickburg, Texas; and many other beloved family and friends, including the ladies of Don Juan's Hair Designs (Georgia Romero and Thuy Huynh). The Celebration of Cleo's life will take place on Friday, January 18, 2013, at the First United Methodist Church of Lake Jackson, 404 Azalea at Yaupon, at 2 p.m. Private interment of her remains will take place later at Restwood Memorial Park in Lake Jackson.