Muriel Claire Oster

Muriel Claire Oster, born March 20,1924, died May 23, 2008 in Santa Barbara surrounded by her beloved children, David, Nancy, Jessie and Selene. She was the proud grandmother of two grandchildren, Heather Michelann Quimby and Shaun Oster.

Muriel spent her late childhood on her father’s chicken farm in Menlo Park, joined the military service as a WAVE during WWII, met Bob Oster at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco after the end of the war, dated him nine times and on the tenth date she drove to Reno in a snowstorm with him and married him. They were married 53 years.

Muriel wasn’t great at laundry or windows, but she could serve dinner for fifteen with one hand tied behind her back. Everyone congregated at the house in Lomita for every holiday or occasion and Muriel always made sure there was lots to eat. She laughed a lot and loved her kids and was able to make something out of nothing with her creative genius. She loved thrift shops, flea markets, large dangly earrings and her dolls. She was intelligent and stunningly beautiful and lived her life with comedic passion. Muriel was a complete original, never to be duplicated. She will be sorely missed by all those who love her.

The family would like to thank the staff at Toltec Living Center for the loving compassionate care they have given her for the past five years. We would also like to thank close friends and other family members for sharing this journey with us through times of laughter and times of sadness. Mom’s love shines brightly in all of us and all of you.