Alma C. Osborne, who served as president of the Retirees Association of DC 37 for 10 years, passed away June 25 after a long struggle with cancer. She was 92.

Dozens of retirees, union leaders and activists and family members attended her funeral service June 30 at Abyssinian Baptist Church near her home in Harlem.

“Alma was a wonderful, wonderful person, who never had a bad word to say about anybody,” said Stuart Leibowitz, who succeeded Ms. Osborne as Retirees president.

Lee Saunders, an assistant to AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee and former administrator of DC 37, described Ms. Osborne as an “everyday hero” and a “trailblazer.” DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts recalled how Ms. Osborne was a leader in the struggle of retirees in New York State to win an annual cost of living adjustment for their pensions and full reimbursement of their Medicare Part B contributions.

“Alma is a person who we will never forget,” said Audrey Iszard, 1st vice president of the Retirees Association. She announced that the association would establish a scholarship to honor Ms. Osborne.

Ms. Osborne joined Hospital Employees Local 420 in 1953, soon after she became a clerical worker at Harlem Hospital. Coworkers elected her as a shop steward, and she was a leader in the drive to organize clericals into Local 1784. In 1964, Local 1784 merged with Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549. Ms. Osborne chaired the local’s Hospital Chapter from 1975 until her retirement in 1978.

In the Retirees Association, she served as vice president for political action until 1991, when she was elected president. Her last day in office was Sept. 11, 2001.

Ms. Osborne enjoyed a 62-year marriage to her late husband, Ernest. She is survived by two children, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.