R.I.P. Nate '968' Osborn

2008-12-01T07:50:00.001-08:00

Nate- Feb 26 1957-June 16 2005
today i was in AH church- once we settled into the pew i remembered that that minister will be making a sermon, and i looked to my father next to me and said- 'uh oh dad i think we made a big mistake !'- he, not-knowing my thinking, agreed with a nod and said 'maybe'- but to my great surprise the whole experience was fantastic. the 1st hymn we sang was Bethoven- joyful joyful we adore thee- I thought of Nate =how Nate loved classics alongside loving alt-punk and so forth that people more expected of him- the unexpectedness of Nate- as we were singing that hymn- all about joy and thankfulness of god and the triumphant song of life- I was thinking this is the perfect hymn to have sung at Nate's funeral- then i was thinking how can i say that - it's all about joy joy joy-not at all a comfort recognition of the tragedy or fleetingness hymn for a time when we've just lost the one we adore- yet I kept thinking no! this song is perfect - it's not at all a funeral song but Nate was all about that joy - I sometimes leaned on Nate to carry that vision of joy and triumphance for me. I thought at his funeral we could all be singing that song because now it was up to us to carry it for each other- you know I said some 'whatever' things at Nate's funeral- it's only after this much time that I think i've come to the point where i could make a speech that would be a proper tribute to Nate. I was reading and rereading that hymn all through church trying to understand how i could think it was an appropriate funeral hymnn- i kept thinking no! impossible! it's of no comfort- and yet the words kept bringing up Nate for me.
Meanwhile, lately i have come to the conclusion that i don't believe in grief.

2008-06-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

2006-06-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2005
Ms Jochnick-
I would like to express my most heartfelt condolences at the death of
your husband, Nate. I saw the article in the Post today and felt just
completely dumbstruck. I knew Nate from my time as a DC bike
messenger, and he was one of those presences that made me feel lucky
to work in the industry. He was a consummate professional as well as a
warm, unpretentious, good-hearted man. I could talk to him about
anything and be rewarded with his insights, but of course it was when
the subject turned to his work in the human rights struggle that he
really shone. It was always a wonder to me, on days when it seemed
like enough of an accomplishment to just get up and through another
day on the bike, that this man was going home and taking more time out
of his day to help people he didn't know on the other side of the
world. He was really one of those people who, in a quiet, unassuming
way, was helping to change the world for the better.
In the messenger community, we are separated from our colleagues for
most of the day, and get to know one another in little intervals:
waiting at a loading dock, signing in at an office building, passing
one another at a bike rack. Once in a while we get together for a race
or a party, and that is when we get to find out a little more about
each other. Nate, to me, was one who constantly surprised me with the
depth of his character- someone who made me feel that under the
surface of ordinary life there were people who were doing great
things. The last conversation I had with Nate was characteristically
eye-opening. I was walking to the office building I work in now and
met him coming out of a building at 21st and L st NW. We chatted, and
he asked me how the road racing was going (this is what I am known for
among the couriers). I had some good results last season and so was
feeling pretty good about it, and I gladly reeled off a few stories
about my little successes. Nate was -again, characteristically-
receptive and encouraging, and congratulated me on my victories. Then
I asked him what he had been up to. He proceeded to, in his low-key
manner, fill me in on the work that he had been doing for human rights
and for ETAN: traveling, organizing, writing, campaigning. When he got
done bringing me up to date, I felt in a sense very small, because the
racing that I'd been doing seemed so frivolous in perspective. But I
didn't feel diminished; he was never, ever overbearing or
holier-than-thou. It was just that in his own down-to-earth way he had
given me a glimpse of a wider perspective, and shown me once again
what a real accomplishment is: helping other people.
I was not close with Nate, nor could I ever expect to meet him at a
regular time or place; our relationship was one of happenstance.
However, I think that I will, as the world will, feel his absence
quite acutely. -John Whittington
PS- I would like to publish a short remembrance of Nate on the
District of Columbia Bicycle Courier Association's new website, which
I am currently developing. I will send you a link once the page is up.
If you would like to send a picture, or direct donations to a charity,
please let me know.
Thanks- John

July 12, 2005
Nate was a friend for over 30 years and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He was a kind and gentle person, who had the courage to do right and always help the underdog. The world is a poorer place without him.
Don Bonsteel (Catonsville, MD )

Monday, June 20, 2005
RIP Nate Osborn

On Thursday of last week, at 2:30 PM, my friend Nate Osborn died from complications related to cancer.

I met Nate through work with the East Timor Action Network, and he was one of the most devoted activists I've known. He was a "long hauler" -- he was involved for as long as I've known about East Timor; he served with the International Federation for East Timor's Observer Project; and he constantly gave his time to the endless list of tasks facing ETAN/DC.

Nate was also an indefatigably positive person (I can't recall a single instance of his having bad feelings toward anyone), and radiated a calm reassurance. He had a deadpan sense of humor, and took delight in the little things of life. After several hours of discussions and "decision making" in a conference room, Nate would lead the assembled ETANers through Tai Chi exercises to help us relax. Even after Timor Loro Sa'e won its independence and many ETAN activists turned toward other pressing concerns, I knew I could expect to see Nate at our national meetings, and I always looked forward to seeing him.

Nate was also one of the only ETAN folks who ever gave me feedback on my music. At one ETAN gathering back in the day, I brought copies of my album Viva Timor (now out of print), and sold them for $1.00 each. Nate grabbed one up right away and the next day (it was a 2-day gathering) told me how much he enjoyed it. He asked about the process I used to make the tunes, and every time I saw him, he asked about my latest work.

Good knowing you, Mr. Nate O. May you be at peace wherever you are.
Eric
Posted by djochnick at 10:22 PM

A Local Life: Nathan Osborn
Bike Messenger Traversed City, Strove to Improve the World

By Louie Estrada
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 10, 2005; Page C10

In the bedroom of a condominium just south of Logan Circle in Northwest
Washington, an old racing bike lies twisted on a sofa behind a collage
of pictures propped on an easel. For many years, the bike belonged to
Nathan Osborn, who until March rode it on the city's streets, weaving
through traffic, picking up and delivering packages like a modern-day
Pony Express cowboy.

Osborn, who went by Nate, was a bike messenger with Dynamex, a
transportation services firm, which moved its local office from the
District to Arlington in January 2004. For most of the past year,
Osborn's Mondays began at 5 a.m. with an eight-mile trek to Dynamex's
warehouse in Arlington's Virginia Square neighborhood.

After helping unload the company's trucks to prepare for the day's
deliveries, he filled his own large, rugged shoulder bag with packages,
said his wife, Daphne af Jochnick. He'd check his manifest, then hit the
road again at 8 a.m., pedaling his way back to the District, where he
would spend the next six hours traveling across the city regardless of
rain, sleet or snow.

He briskly moved against the panorama of the Capitol, the monuments and
the offices of government agencies, law firms and trade associations. In
his 20 years as a bike messenger, he was in only one accident, his wife
said. He was struck by a near-sighted taxi driver and broke his
collarbone.

Otherwise, Osborn appeared as sturdy as the bikes he rode for work and
pleasure. At 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall, he was a stocky fellow with a
square jaw and steely thighs. His long, straight brown hair was pulled
into a ponytail that swayed underneath his burgundy bike helmet.

"He loved everything about bikes: the freedom of riding, the workout,
the social interaction with people on the streets," af Jochnick said.
"He tried a regular office job once, briefly, but it wasn't for him."

A son of an agriculture economist with the U.S. Agency for International
Development, he was born in Portland, Ore., and grew up in Springfield
and Washington. He also spent time in La Paz, Bolivia, and Mexico City.
He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, where he played
football, in 1975 and from Alfred University, about 80 miles south of
Rochester, N.Y., in 1979. He received a master's degree in business
administration from the University of South Carolina two years later but
soon discovered an interest in becoming an agent for social change.

Over the years, his life became deeply entwined in the subculture of
bike messengers. He went to clubs to support his friends' punk rock
bands and competed against other couriers in formal and informal road
races that combined speed with orienteering skills. He also participated
in Vermont's Bread and Puppet Theater shows for political and social
awareness, along with other protests and demonstrations.

When he wrapped up his daily deliveries about 2 p.m., he would go to the
Washington office of the political and human rights organization East
Timor and Indonesia Action Network, for which he served on the executive
committee.

Osborn helped with activities large and small. He organized some of the
group's demonstrations at the Indonesian Embassy, wrote and performed
scripts for its street theater and kept its corps of staff members,
volunteers and supporters well fed at its fundraising events with
homemade pizzas and baked goods. He hosted visiting East Timorese
activists, attended national meetings in California and New York and
helped formulate the group's policy to raise awareness of the push for
independence in East Timor and for human rights in Indonesia.

"Nate was always interested in helping the underdog," said Karen
Ornstein, the group's Washington coordinator. "He was involved in East
Timor when it was not a mainstream issue. He was very dedicated to
justice and human rights."

In 1999, he served as a U.N.-accredited observer of the East Timor
referendum for independence. He spent about a month in Same, a town at
the foot of Mount Kabulaki. When some of the townspeople in Same learned
this year that Osborn had cancer, they sent a hand-woven banner stitched
with a get-well message.

The banner arrived after Osborn, 48, died June 16 at a holistic health
center in Tijuana, Mexico, where he had been receiving treatment for
sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting the connective tissue. The cancer was
diagnosed in April.

Af Jochnick returned to Washington with her husband's ashes in an urn, a
wooden box with an image of Jesus emblazoned on the side. It sits on a
table in a corner of their living room, near a vase of flowers and one
of Osborn's favorite books, a worn copy of William Blake's poetry.

On the floor are baskets, one of which is filled with strips of brightly
colored paper with handwritten notes of sympathy and reflections about a
man with a wry wit and gracious hospitality. One of them described
Osborn as a man who was "concerned with humanity and peace not social
status and social climbing."

2006-06-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Nathan Osborn

Washington DC, died 16.June 2005
Dynamex

The DC messenger scene lost one of its longtime heroes last month when Nate "68" Osborn died June 16th of cancer. Nate was a very dedicated messenger who regularly got to work at 5 am, so that he could work a full day and then leave in the afternoon to work the rest of the day as a volunteer with a human rights organization (East Timor Action Network, or ETAN). He was also a regular at the alleycats here and made his mark at the 2000 champs in Philly, where he raced as a vet and served as a race official.

A memorial service [was] held for Nate on Saturday, July 30, 11:00 a.m. at Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16 St., NW, Washington, D.C. Nate's wife has made it clear that messenger gear/clothes are welcome. There [was] a group ride at 1:30, after the reception, which is also at the church. The ride will make a circuit of downtown DC with a few
stops at some of Nate's haunts, including the ETAN office on Capitol Hill. It will end at Malcom X park well before the evening's alleycat (the Elvis Race, 7pm, also at Malcom X) begins.

-John Whittington

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is an article on Nate Osborn who passed away recently, downed by cancer. He was a good person and rider! There will be a memorial service for him on July 30th in the morning I believe.There will be a Minute of Silence for him at the Elvis race that evening. Come pay your respects!!!

-John, Demon Cats

You will be missed, friend. - Kevin Dilliard

2006-06-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 20, 2005
RIP Nate Osborn

On Thursday of last week, at 2:30 PM, my friend Nate Osborn died from complications related to cancer.

I met Nate through work with the East Timor Action Network, and he was one of the most devoted activists I've known. He was a "long hauler" -- he was involved for as long as I've known about East Timor; he served with the International Federation for East Timor's Observer Project; and he constantly gave his time to the endless list of tasks facing ETAN/DC.

Nate was also an indefatigably positive person (I can't recall a single instance of his having bad feelings toward anyone), and radiated a calm reassurance. He had a deadpan sense of humor, and took delight in the little things of life. After several hours of discussions and "decision making" in a conference room, Nate would lead the assembled ETANers through Tai Chi exercises to help us relax. Even after Timor Loro Sa'e won its independence and many ETAN activists turned toward other pressing concerns, I knew I could expect to see Nate at our national meetings, and I always looked forward to seeing him.

Nate was also one of the only ETAN folks who ever gave me feedback on my music. At one ETAN gathering back in the day, I brought copies of my album Viva Timor (now out of print), and sold them for $1.00 each. Nate grabbed one up right away and the next day (it was a 2-day gathering) told me how much he enjoyed it. He asked about the process I used to make the tunes, and every time I saw him, he asked about my latest work.

It's remarkably regrettable that, after nearly 10 years of working with this superb human being, the blurred, grainy photo-of-a-photo here is the only picture I have of Nate.

Good knowing you, Mr. Nate O. May you be at peace wherever you are.

TimeWaster™

Today I'm listening to: Bill Hicks! (Only the good...)

ETAN memorial

2006-06-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Nathan Osborn
1957-2005

It is with great sadness we commemorate the life of Nathan Osborn, one of ETAN’s longest-running and most dedicated members, who died June 16th, six weeks after he was diagnosed with an aggressive sarcoma cancer. Nate was completely dedicated to ETAN's work; as he liked to point out, his name is "ETAN" spelled backwards.

Nate hosted ETAN's very first lobby days training and strategy meeting in the community room of his northwest Washington apartment building in the early 1990s. Nate went on to play a memorable role in many lobby days to come. As ETAN’s resident puppeteer, he provided much-needed moments of characteristically wild humor by creating and staging an annual puppet show - skewering friend and foe alike - during lengthy trainings for ETAN’s activist lobbyists. Street theater was his forte.
Nate Osborn speaking at ETAN demonstration.

As a 1999 referendum observer with the International Federation for East Timor Observer Project in Same, East Timor, Nate played a special role in supporting the East Timorese people as they struggled to end the Indonesian occupation of their country.

Nate was invaluable to ETAN as a key leader in the organization nationally and in its local Washington, DC chapter. A longtime member of ETAN's Executive Committee, he was always willing to do the hard, unglamorous work necessary to running an effective organization, whether that meant convening the executive committee, helping the Washington, DC office prepare for lobby days, stuffing envelopes, dropping off packets to hundreds of congressional offices, or helping to plan and publicize demonstrations at the Indonesian Embassy or State Department. He was also a charter member of ETAN's punk rock caucus, which formed at a strip mall in Tempe, Arizona.

Successful movements for social justice require people like Nate, who seek change not credit and by their example remind us that activism is not only necessary but, given a commitment that includes sharing humor, enthusiasm, and love of life, can be joyous as well. He will be deeply missed by all of us.
-----------
Remembering Nate:
----------

July 14, 2005

I still can't really believe Nate is gone. Living on the other side of this continent (the U.S.) from him, I didn't get to see him enough after meeting him circa '96 or so at some ETAN-related event, undoubtedly my first lobby daze.

Nate was a really special person that I have to admit I took for granted a bit. I took for granted that there would always be, at some point, another wild mix tape or CD, along with a screamingly funny, drop-dead deadpan, but never arch, message that would always be, above all, endearing.

I can't think of too many other activist buddies that I could talk to about both London Review of Books and Eugene Chadbourne's LSD C&W. In fact, I can't think of many humans other than Nate that could stradle both those poles and many other equally improbable extremes.

I hugely regret not getting to spend more time in his always interesting, enlivening company, but I most definitely appreciate having had the chance to know him. As I talked about him to mutual friend Ed, we both realized what a straight ahead unpretentious bohemian (in the absolute best senses of that overused word) Nate was, and a real working class intellectual to boot, no mean feat. As Ed said, he was a well-adjusted oddball, and a consummate team player who never puffed his ego at the expense of others. He was an inspiration to both of us, and lately I'm realizing how much he will continue to be a huge inspiration to me.

What a great guy. My deepest condolences to all his family and friends.

love,
Ben

Ben Terrall (San Francisco, CA )

---------------------------

I was fortunate to have been part of the the same observer group as Nate and many other good friends in Same, East Timor in 1999. Nate brought a brightness to the world we lived in there, and he connected in a genuine, caring way with our local friends. I never knew or asked Nate how old he was: his youthfulness was one of the things I'll always remember most about him.

I knew Nate as a humble man, who cared deeply about a cause, and worked for it tirelessly in his own creative and passionate ways. On his own -- and in solidarity with many others -- Nate took on the US and Indonesian governments for East Timor, and he won.

Sending my condolences to Nate's family and loved ones.

- Aaron Goodman

-----------------

ON BEHALF OF THE EXTENDED FAMILY IN EAST TIMOR, I (QUITO) MOURN FOR OUR FRIEND NATHAN (NATE)

Firstly I want to tell Nate’s extended family, and especially his wife, that in 1999, Nate together with us struggled for our independence in East Timor, specifically in Same, and together we experienced the fierce behavior of the Indonesian military and KOPASUS (Indonesian military intelligence agency) as well as the ABLAI militia.

It was with great fear and having to face many difficulties that Nate and his friends, who were not Timorese, stayed with us until we gained our independence. At that time Nate and his friends from the IFET observer team worked hard in giving us support and courage and a feeling of trusting in ourselves in order for everyone to come down to where the voting polls were for the referendum, because at that time, we who were pro independence were threatened by the Indonesian KOPASUS in order to keep us from casting our vote in the referendum. Together we traveled to remote villages using an old car.

In the beginning of September 1999 Nate and his friends from IFET received a death threat by the TNI (Indonesian military) and militia. The threat said that their hearts would be eaten. Even though the situation at that time was very dangerous, Nate and his friends from IFET, and their team leader Inge, continued to struggle for the people of East Timor. Therefore, on behalf of the people of East Timor, and specifically from Same, I want to offer a small gift and our deep appreciation to our friend Nate who has passed on.

In August 1999 in Same, Nate asked me, ‘Do you think East Timor will be independent or not?’ But I did not answer him, and only responded with another question, ‘What do you think Nate, do you think we will gain independence? And Nate answered ‘I am sure that you will be independent!’ And it was at that point that I made a promise to the IFET team, that if we really would gain our independence, we would all together celebrate independence of East Timor on the top of Mount Ramelau, the highest mountain in East Timor. But until today we have not yet celebrated our independence together with the IFET team on top of Mt. Ramelau. Therefore with this occasion of the celebration of the life of our friend Nate after his passing, I am planning and would like to ask you to invite the entire IFET team and Nate’s wife to bring his name and a picture, which would be written in a marble stone to be placed on the top of Mt. Ramelau. The plan for this is to be between October and November 2005, depending on the request from Nate’s family, so that Nate’s name will always remain in Same.

Also we are forming a group of eight to ten women in the village of Alas. This group will receive training in making ‘tais’ (traditional East Timorese weavings) for one to two months. This group will be called ‘NATE’S COOPERATIVE’. And because Nate loved to ride his bike, each member of Nate’s Cooperative will receive a bicycle and one permanent house will be built for the work of the cooperative. In order to build this cooperative we are estimating to need between ten and fifteen thousand U.S. dollars.

We have planned this, but don’t have the funds, and therefore by means of this letter we would request from all friends and family of Nate’s to assist in making this plan come true.

Our prayers go to Nate’s family and friends, and we trust that God has embraced Nate.

Same, 20 July, 2005

Signed by

Quito Costa Marcal

---------------------

Nate and I met in the town of Same, East Timor, where we were observers with the International Federation for East Timor for the historic 1999 referendum on independence from Indonesia.

I joined the Same observer team a few weeks before the vote, and while I can't claim that I became a close friend of Nate's, I can say that we went through as intense and incredible a time in Same and then in Dili as I have ever experienced: when the tension and fear during the run-up to the vote was transmuted to euphoria at the massive 99 percent turnout and the overwhelming result, and then gave way to fear again and anguish at the awful violence and destruction that followed. His presence was a comfort to me both when I'd first arrived, and then later when rumours and threats of violence came thick and fast and we were all scared to stay and yet scared to leave.

So while I didn't get to know Nate very well, I did find out that he was a good man, deeply devoted to East Timor, the wider political cause, but also to the individual East Timorese people that we all came to know and to admire. I believe that through his actions then and especially his long dedication before, he made an important contribution to the independence of East Timor and the East Timorese people.

I was deeply saddened when I heard the news of his death. I send my sympathies to Nate's family and loved ones.

Ramie Blatt

------------------------
Dear All,

It's with great sadness that I learn that one of the friends of East Timor has passed away. I first met Nate in Washington in 1997 while I was at UPENN (University of Pennsylvania) doing research. We met up in his flat in down town Washington preparing for a demo in front of the White House. He was committed to the cause and I know that he made a great contribution to the struggle of the East Timorese in the dark years of the Resistance.

We will all remember him with fondness!

Estevao (Cabral)

-------------------------------------

Dear Nate

The one comfort I have is hearing from all your friends. Dads always know their sons are the best but they don't very often hear that from people they never knew. You lived the life I would have loved to have lived. Thanks so much for revealing it to me.

My claim to fame is having two great sons and a great daughter. Social consciousness runs in my family but you showed how to live it.

love

Dad

(Howard Osborn)

----------------------

As the mother-in-law of Nate, I wanted to add a few comments.During the almost three years that Daphne and Nate were married,I didn't meet Nate often,and when I did it as at family reunions and holidays with many people around. Nate's deep love and adoration of Daphne was self-evident. They were seldom apart --and yes, I also learned that Nate had a passion for East Timor, and liked yoga, biking, bus rides (especially Chinese buses), hiking, grilled lamb,and on several occasions I was fortunate enough to taste the pizza and cinnamon buns for which he was famous...but I didn't really get to know the other side of Nate until the last few weeks of his life.

As I sat by his bedside in the hospital, to give Daphne a rare break, we talked and I read to him--The Great Gatsby, poetry (Blake was his favorite),and various book reviews. Nate never complained about his physical condition, never wallowed in self pity,in spite of the pain he was in and the obvious deteriation of his muscles and ability to move. He showed a quiet inner strength in his courageous struggle against this terribly aggressive cancer that raged through his body. He never gave up hope that he would recover, even when the conventional treatments failed.

Nate´s last words to me were "Well,I think I've finally figured it all out". I regret that I never had a chance to ask Nate what he "figured out".--I hope at some later time I will.

With love,

Liz af Jochnick

-------------------------

A brother like Nathan is precious! I thought only Corwin and I had a brother like Nathan, but I see from the many, many comments here at ETAN and elsewhere that not just Corwin and I, not just the dear ones in Same, East Timor, but folks in many corners of the world felt and appreciated Nathan’s brother love. How wonderful—Nathan’s love was deep and broad enough to embrace the whole world, yet active and supportive with his close family. Someday, I look forward to hugging those sisters in the Alas, East Timor weaving cooperative!

Victoria Grace Osborn Rockman,
Sister of Nathan Ward Osborn
--------------------

My heart goes out to Nathan and to all those who knew and loved him for he truly helped many others in his short but remarkable life. I may not have known him but I am one of the many Timorese he helped when he selflessly volunteered to help us cast off the shackles of tyranny and achieve our freedom as an independent nation of East Timor. My husband and I having lived in Same and Dili know of his work and contributions very well. He will long be remembered in the prayers of many Timorese. Obrigado Barak, Terima Kasih, Thank You for your sacrifice in helping us achieve our dreams of freedom.

Durvalina Guterres Anawalt (Dili, East Timor)

--------------------

I met Nate in 1998 through activism. I was listening to WPFW and heard about an East Timor demonstration down at the Indonesian embassy. I’d been reading about East Timor for a while and so I left work immediately and headed down to the embassy for the showdown. Nate was one of the first people I met there, and we both proceeded to go to jail for a couple of hours for crossing the police line. In hindsight, I think Nate was more concerned about losing a Suharto puppet than being arrested. One of the first things that I remember was that Nate was so laid back and genuinely nice. When you talked to Nate you felt like you were the only person in the world that he cared to listen to at that moment.

Soon after, I became an East Timor activist, even trying to join Nate in East Timor as a UN observer (I didn’t end up going for personal reasons). It was so inspiring to have done activism with Nate. For a while many of us kind of thought in the back of our minds that East Timor might not gain its independence but through the dedicated leaders like Nate at the forefront of the movement, East Timor is now its own country. I remember one time that we held a really small protest outside the embassy. I think it was just Nate, me and about five other dedicated protesters. A Portuguese reporter happened to be there and got a photo of Nate holding up a blood-spattered sign that I’d made. We heard later that that photo made the front page of the Jakarta press and had a big effect on the changing politics at that time in Indonesia. I remember feeling proud to have been a part of a movement that had so much momentum and even though there weren’t that many people in DC that knew the issues and were active on it, we were getting the job done.

Nate and I went to a conference on East Timor in Vermont and we were the only two people to run and dive off the end of the dock into the cold lake beneath. If Nate hadn’t been there, I don’t know if anyone would’ve gone swimming that night. It was uplifting to have someone always wanting to have fun no matter how serious the occasion.

Nate was also an active member of a small DC film club that I’d started called “The Polish Club”. We’d watch political films and discuss them afterwards. It was great to have Nate at the discussions always lending level, experienced thoughts to some of the other crazy, radical ideas that were being thrown about.

From the Polish Club, we started the Anarchist Soccer League (ASL) where Nate gained the nickname “The Blizzard of Os” after his highly energetic soccer playing skills. Nate came to almost all the pick-up matches we had and even joined us when we went to the Philadelphia Mumia Abu Jamal protest in which the ASL played soccer in the streets.

I will miss Nate tremendously. I hadn’t seen him as much as I would’ve liked in recent years but it was always comforting to know that he was out there fighting the good fight and doing exactly what he wanted. He wasn’t concerned about making lots of money or what zip code people lived in. Nate was the kind of person that makes you want to live a better life.

Nate, I’ll never forget you.

Damon Fodge (Washington, DC )

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I'm really sad to hear about Nate's death.

I didn't get to know him well, but I always had a deep admiration for him. Alot of people seek the spotlight and Nate just seem to want to do what was necessary to get something good to happen.

I remember at a dinner celebrating the independence of East Timor I happened to end up sitting closer to the "center" than Nate and I felt really dumb since Nate had done all of this crucial work on the subject and just helped out in a tangential way. I don't even think he worked "full-time" on the issue -- he had a regular job as I recall. It's just a testament to what a few people can do -- especially those here in the capital of the "empire" in DC -- if they really set themselves on a positive goal. Some people collect stamps in their spare time, Nate helped save and free an oppressed people.

-Sam Husseini

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Nate -

I never met you but I wish I had.

Having read about you only after your death, I can only admire your sense of social justice, your physicality, your imagination, your dedication to the cause especially for the East Timorese people, your preparedness to do the mundane tasks as well as the spectacular.

At least you lived to see massive progress in the Timor struggle, beyond our wildest dream during the dark days of the 24 years and including the mid 1990's. All volunteers like you, Nate, to observe the election in August 1999, defying the intimidation of the Indonesian military and their militias, are to my mind heroes, and none of these heroes have been acknowledged by governments, but we do. You are a hero Nate.

The Timor struggle has made bonds across the world, and I feel a deep sense of loss on your departing. Please your family should know the respect in which you are held.

Wes
Rob Wesley-Smith
Australians for a Free East Timor
Darwin

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Monday, June 20, 2005

It was only last week that i was watching footage of the rnc2000 republican convention in philly and laughing at nate's antics on a flat-bed truck loaded with mudwrestling politicians. I will always remember his impromtu, bizarre etan puppetshows during lobby days,(which were frequently loaded with inside jokes that i didn't always initially understand).

Getting to know the generous, patient, creative spirit behind the masks (or below the stage) during those days was a blessing that I carry with me.

Nate will continue to be an inspiritation to bicycling puppetistas in atlanta,

with great sadness,

warren goodwin
atlanta, ga

2006-06-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

OSBORN, NATHAN W.

On June 16 2005, a welcoming face disappeared from the streets of D.C. Long-time bike courier, indefatigable activist and source of joy, strength, and humor to all who encountered him. Nathan was the husband of Daphne af Jochnick, son of Howard and the late Grace Osborn, brother of Corwin Osborn and Victoria Rockman, uncle of Gabriel, Mateo, Aurora, Rebecca, Larissa, Nicolas and Martin. He couriered most recently for Dynamex, worked with the Pledge of Resistance, Washington Action Group, the Bread and Puppet Theatre and ETAN, the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, serving on the ETAN board and as a UN Elections observer in East Timor in 1999. Nate will be remembered for his great heart and inspired ways. Contributions in Nate's memory may be made to ETAN, PO Box 15774, Washington, DC 20003. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 30, at Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. N.W.
Published in The Washington Post on 7/3/2005.

2006-06-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Guest Book for
Nathan W. Osborn

July 12, 2005
Ms Jochnick-
I would like to express my most heartfelt condolences at the death of
your husband, Nate. I saw the article in the Post today and felt just
completely dumbstruck. I knew Nate from my time as a DC bike
messenger, and he was one of those presences that made me feel lucky
to work in the industry. He was a consummate professional as well as a
warm, unpretentious, good-hearted man. I could talk to him about
anything and be rewarded with his insights, but of course it was when
the subject turned to his work in the human rights struggle that he
really shone. It was always a wonder to me, on days when it seemed
like enough of an accomplishment to just get up and through another
day on the bike, that this man was going home and taking more time out
of his day to help people he didn't know on the other side of the
world. He was really one of those people who, in a quiet, unassuming
way, was helping to change the world for the better.
In the messenger community, we are separated from our colleagues for
most of the day, and get to know one another in little intervals:
waiting at a loading dock, signing in at an office building, passing
one another at a bike rack. Once in a while we get together for a race
or a party, and that is when we get to find out a little more about
each other. Nate, to me, was one who constantly surprised me with the
depth of his character- someone who made me feel that under the
surface of ordinary life there were people who were doing great
things. The last conversation I had with Nate was characteristically
eye-opening. I was walking to the office building I work in now and
met him coming out of a building at 21st and L st NW. We chatted, and
he asked me how the road racing was going (this is what I am known for
among the couriers). I had some good results last season and so was
feeling pretty good about it, and I gladly reeled off a few stories
about my little successes. Nate was -again, characteristically-
receptive and encouraging, and congratulated me on my victories. Then
I asked him what he had been up to. He proceeded to, in his low-key
manner, fill me in on the work that he had been doing for human rights
and for ETAN: traveling, organizing, writing, campaigning. When he got
done bringing me up to date, I felt in a sense very small, because the
racing that I'd been doing seemed so frivolous in perspective. But I
didn't feel diminished; he was never, ever overbearing or
holier-than-thou. It was just that in his own down-to-earth way he had
given me a glimpse of a wider perspective, and shown me once again
what a real accomplishment is: helping other people.
I was not close with Nate, nor could I ever expect to meet him at a
regular time or place; our relationship was one of happenstance.
However, I think that I will, as the world will, feel his absence
quite acutely. -John Whittington
PS- I would like to publish a short remembrance of Nate on the
District of Columbia Bicycle Courier Association's new website, which
I am currently developing. I will send you a link once the page is up.
If you would like to send a picture, or direct donations to a charity,
please let me know.
Thanks- John

July 12, 2005
Nate was a friend for over 30 years and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He was a kind and gentle person, who had the courage to do right and always help the underdog. The world is a poorer place without him.
Don Bonsteel (Catonsville, MD )

Monday, June 20, 2005
RIP Nate Osborn

On Thursday of last week, at 2:30 PM, my friend Nate Osborn died from complications related to cancer.

I met Nate through work with the East Timor Action Network, and he was one of the most devoted activists I've known. He was a "long hauler" -- he was involved for as long as I've known about East Timor; he served with the International Federation for East Timor's Observer Project; and he constantly gave his time to the endless list of tasks facing ETAN/DC.

Nate was also an indefatigably positive person (I can't recall a single instance of his having bad feelings toward anyone), and radiated a calm reassurance. He had a deadpan sense of humor, and took delight in the little things of life. After several hours of discussions and "decision making" in a conference room, Nate would lead the assembled ETANers through Tai Chi exercises to help us relax. Even after Timor Loro Sa'e won its independence and many ETAN activists turned toward other pressing concerns, I knew I could expect to see Nate at our national meetings, and I always looked forward to seeing him.

Nate was also one of the only ETAN folks who ever gave me feedback on my music. At one ETAN gathering back in the day, I brought copies of my album Viva Timor (now out of print), and sold them for $1.00 each. Nate grabbed one up right away and the next day (it was a 2-day gathering) told me how much he enjoyed it. He asked about the process I used to make the tunes, and every time I saw him, he asked about my latest work.

Good knowing you, Mr. Nate O. May you be at peace wherever you are.
Eric

2006-06-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

November 30, 2005

Nate and I met in the town of Same, East Timor, where we were observers with the International Federation for East Timor for the historic 1999 referendum on independence from Indonesia.

I joined the Same observer team a few weeks before the vote, and while I can't claim that I became a close friend of Nate's, I can say that we went through as intense and incredible a time in Same and then in Dili as I have ever experienced: when the tension and fear during the run-up to the vote was transmuted to euphoria at the massive 99 percent turnout and the overwhelming result, and then gave way to fear again and anguish at the awful violence and destruction that followed. His presence was a comfort to me both when I'd first arrived, and then later when rumours and threats of violence came thick and fast and we were all scared to stay and yet scared to leave.

So while I didn't get to know Nate very well, I did find out that he was a good man, deeply devoted to East Timor, the wider political cause, but also to the individual East Timorese people that we all came to know and to admire. I believe that through his actions then and especially his long dedication before, he made an important contribution to the independence of East Timor and the East Timorese people.

I was deeply saddened when I heard the news of his death. I send my sympathies to Nate's family and loved ones.
Ramie Blatt

August 13, 2005

I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear this bitter news.

I will always remember Nate for his unique combination of tireless energy for activism, ever-sunny disposition, and gentleness.

My sympathy to all his friends and family.

Robert Naiman
Robert Naiman (Urbana, IL )
August 5, 2005

Nate,

The last time I saw you was at a Fall show at the Black Cat. We each had no idea the other was a fan of the Fall, so it was great running into you.

You were always a committed activist, which is why almost every other time we talked you were on the way into or out of the ETAN office, or it was in the middle of a march somewhere. Your concern for humanity was always evident - you always asked me about what was happening in Burma.

You left us much too soon, but you still accomplished a great deal while you were here. You're an inspiration for anyone engaged in human rights work, and you will be greatly missed.
Dan Beeton (Washington, DC )
July 21, 2005
You will always be in our hearts and missed dearly by us all. Even though i only knew Nathan for a short while, it was the greatest honor of all knowing him and being his friend.
Aydin "Chiya" and Suheyla Ayhan (Springfield, VA )
chiya_ayhan@hotmail.com
July 20, 2005
Nate's death was one of the most bewildering, dismaying things ever, particularly considering how conscientiously he lived and how loving a life he and Daphne had together. I hope he lives on as a powerful example of how to embrace opportunities and others.
Holden Brooks (Washington, DC )

2006-06-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

RIP brother Nate Osborn

One of my favorite D.C. comrades and ASL soccer players has passed away.
I think many people will miss Nate. I have many memories of Nate, a
common one being of him riding his bike across the fields of Fort Reno
to play soccer with the Anarchist Soccer League. I also recall many
conversations with Nate over beer and I attended a few ETAN protests
because Nate kept me up-to-date on ETAN’s activism.

It’s kind of fitting that I was wearing an ASL DC t-shirt this morning
when I got this news.

Nate Osborn at ASL, several years back, standing on left.

2006-05-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: MFleschner@aol.com
Sent: Jun 18, 2005 8:58 PM
To: etanorganize@igc.org
Cc: karen@etan.org
Subject: Re: Nate update- Thursday

Megan,
I am just so distraught and in absolute anguish over this news. I'm not even sure why I'm writing as I have nothing worthwhile to say except to express how upset I am. Last night I lay awake for I don't know how long re-experiencing the moment when I read your email and feeling like I'd just been punched in the stomach.

Of course this is all nothing compared to what Nate's family and Daphne must be going through. I know I'm supposed to offer up bromides about how we should cherish the time we had with Nate rather than focus on what we've lost, but that's not the way it feels. It feels like there's been some colossal mistake in the proper functioning of the universe but no one caught it in time and now it's too late.

I moved away from DC in 2003 and beyond the wonderful memories I have of him from my ETAN experience, I was always happy that Nate and Daphne had met and gotten married, and that he had someone to share his passions, whether his unique taste in music, dedication to social justice, delicate touch with homemade pizza or any of the many other facets that made Nate such an intriguing and accepting person.

He emailed me a month ago full of bravado about beating the cancer, and then taking the fight to George Bush and the Indonesian war criminals. I had no doubt that he would succeed, against the illness at least. Now I see that the cancer was a more formidable opponent than he realized, and the rest of us are left to wonder how this could be.

I'm going to be very sad about this for a long while, and lament how much we've lost, not only in Nate's actual absence, but in my case even though we weren't in regular contact, the comfort of knowing that he was in the world, being himself and living the life I felt fortunate to have participated in. I don't know if that makes any sense the way I've written it, but I know what I mean.

Someday I may be able to reflect on the positives and appreciate the time I had with Nate without those feelings being swallowed up by anger and sorrow. But not yet. It just hurts too much.

Nate, you were a good person and we need more people like you, not fewer. I miss you and now I think I'm going to cry.

Peace,
Malcolm

Nate update, thursday

2005-06-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

Dear all,
here in the apartment now, signs of Nate in mid-action, full vitality are everywhere. -magazines opened to articles, tapes and CD's, stacks of mail, ETAN notes interspersed with poetry, art, pupets, bike tools, appointments. Nate's illness was a nanosecond of his life.

When he first got diagnosed following endless hours in ER and testing and consulting with various teams of professionals on hand, I could not stop crying.= He however took all the news in evenly, had compassion for me- and was ready to move on to the next challanges of the day. He had lost the ability to walk, but could still use his athleticism to work his legs, get transitioning into a wheel chair etc.

While I was breaking down over the loss of our lifestyle, the way he was always with me biking through the city, and now I'd have to bike alone which I was finding 100 percent unacceptable; Nate had already moved on to the new challanges facing him. He had no chip on his shoulder about moving from a guy that had biked 30 miles a day at work, and would get giddy Sunday nights because he got to go to work the next day, to a guy who's challange for the day was to take a piss- So I couldn't stay back there in my lamenting the past because I realized that Nate had already moved on to the new present reality, and if I was going to stay back in the past I'd be on my own. To keep up with Nate I had to shift focus also to positively assess the challanges of the present and also the joys.

What was amazing, though entirely predictable, about Nate's attitude in all this is that along with the loss of use of his legs, he lost a sense of entitlement - he just applied all of his strength gusto, intelligence kindness/patience with himself and others, and good humor to his present situation. I thought that was just awesome, and it was incredibly strengthening and healing for me- he was completely inspirational. Up until the last couple of weeks, at night he wanted to be alone, with me setting up his walkman, Blake, London Review of Books, New York Review of Books, A Nation or two, and crucially, particular mixed tapes from his vast cryptically labeled and ordered collection. He said that although everyone talked about 'fighting' the cancer, for him it was more an insistance from life that he undertake a long overdue spiritual reassessment/ reorientation- And he was grateful for that opportunity. He was up to some of that at night, with his music, reading his books and his solitude- He refused to take on cancer as a burdon he alone had to carry. He said he realized right when Amy showed up to be with us the first time in the ER and Marcia ran around town trying to get a Subway Tuna sandwhich to him, that this wasn't just happening to him, it was happening to all of us. His task was to heal and to stay open to all the love that everyone was sending him. And he was certain of us all overcoming this cancer- we're about life and happiness, not pain and sickness he'd say. He said he could not believe that these legs of his weren't going to obey him again, and he was certain they would. He said later that when pain would creep up at night he would commune with friends and well-wishers who were sending prayers, healing, and love- He felt carried by it. He stayed open to the experience life was handing him. A couple of days before we left for Mexico he said that he'd at last gotten the whole thing figured out- in the past 24 hours he had come to understand something. Somehow I sometimes feel that he has been healed- he is whole and free of illness-

I was upset last night, in tears, over the thought of my retracing the route he would ride each morning at 4:00 am to work- a 35-45 minute ride to Alexandria where his main office had been moved, that he totally relished. My idea was to do a pilgrimage on my bike along this route, though not at 4:00am, to tell his office there the news of his death in person- they know of his cancer. But I was so broken up at the thought, and the thought that no longer is this his 4:00 am relished route. And then I remembered myself with him the day after surgury, when he was attending to his business at hand, while I was breaking up. And it always seemed that while it was OK for me to cry, and he even appreciated my tears quite a lot, in some ways it took me away from him, because he was onto the next task already.

So to here and now. I am certainly going to take my time of wailing and throwing shoes and punching the couch, etc- But the times when I am not I often feel Nate's presence by my side. The apartment feels totally infused with Nateness. Sometimes that's almost intolerable in the face of the lack of his person here, often it's peaceful and beautiful. My contingency plan in case this unfathomable thing came to occur was to disappear in Baja. However once dealing with the actual death of Nate I found I wanted to be around his things, find a scrap of writing of his, listen to his music. On the airplane over I realized even more powerful than being around the scent on his clothes, his handwriting and music, is being with others who love and miss him and have history with him- we are the living memory of Nate and in our friendship nate is so alive. I so appreciate that we are all going through this together-

I am having an open house at the condo this weekend, the 25th and 26th from 5-8pm- 1325 13th St. NW apt. 602. I am planning a memorial for the 17th or 23rd of July- I hope as many people as possible can make it to the memorial so that we can share in Nate's ongoing glow. And if anyone is going to see the Fall, the Mekons, the Rambling Shadows, or the like,..... I'm dedicated to carry on Nate's (punk) rock & roll spirit.
Nate was completely dedicated to his work with ETAN, the East Timor Action Network- friends in the Network are establishing a fund in Nate's name. I'll get details out along with a firm memorial date ASAP.
in love,
Daphne