Elsie Standing was born to Charles and Mary Alice Nicholson Standing on May 20, 1905 north of Earlham, Iowa in the Bear Creek neighborhood. She graduated from Scattergood Friends School, West Branch, Iowa in 1923. Scattergood offered only 3 years of high school, so she went to Olney in Barnesville. After graduating she returned to Scattergood and worked as the school's cook to earn money to attend Penn College. She did attend Penn College for a couple of years. Robert and his brother Paul came up from Kansas in their 20's to attend Scattergood. That is how Robert and Elsie met. Elsie and Robert were married August 31, 1929.
Elsie once took an art correspondence course. In 1957 when the family was visiting son Lawrence and daughter-in-law Betty in Costa Rica and grandson William was born, Betty asked Elsie to create the birth announcement. It featured a cardinal.
Elsie loved birds and flowers. She had a record of bird songs that she played when she rode her stationary bike. She planted a lot of flowers. She also had a green house and sold vegetable and flower seedling plants for sale.
Elsie passed away on April 1, 1997.
"Mother" note paper
"Happiness" motto with cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird illustrating a letter to brother Arthur while he was at CO camp
Pileated Woodpeckers
Owned by David Osborn, Salem Ohio
Red-headed Woodpeckers
Owned by Keith Bricker, Santa Maria, California
Mallards
Owned by Francis and Naomi Osborn, Minnetonka, Minnesota
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Owned by Steven and Jeanne Osborn, Adel, Iowa
Raccoon In Burrow
Owned by Tom Osborn, Denton, TX
Fox Squirrel
Owned by Tom Osborn, Denton, TX
Two Puppies
oil on barn board
Owned by Tom Osborn, Denton, TX
Two Puppies
embroidered pillow
with a crocheted backing
Owned by Tom Osborn, Denton, TX
Kittens
oil on barn board
Owned by Susan Santivanez
Little Elm, TX
Mountain Lake
water color
Owned by Otis and Pat Osborn
Van Alstyne, TX