DADE CITY, Fla. – Kenneth Osborne died Feb. 25, 2009, at Heritage Park, located in his beloved winter home of Dade City, Fla., with his wife, Theresa and son, Patrick, by his side. Ken was born Aug. 1, 1923, in Millinocket, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Osborne. He married Theresa Michaud, Oct. 19, 1942. He and his new wife moved to Quincy, Mass., for Ken to work in the shipyard during the war. Shortly thereafter, they moved back to Maine because they missed their family. Ken took a job with O.S. Gonya delivering oil and managing a service station named Ken’s Esso. While managing the service station, Ken took on many jobs to support his growing family. He became a volunteer firefighter and eventually was elected to fire chief of East Millinocket and at one point became president of the Maine Firefighters Association. He bought and operated a trailer park in Medway and named it Osborne’s Trailer Park. He managed the maintenance of some of the town’s property and its cemetery. In 1972, he left the service station and went to work for Great Northern Paper Co., retiring from Georgia Pacific in 1987. He and his wife bought a motor home and started their life as snowbirds in Florida, where he enjoyed playing cards, shuffleboard with the guys or sitting on the patio to talk to whomever went by. Summers were spent in East Millinocket and at the camp in Lincoln with his large family doing the Osborne things of eating, making fires, drinking beer, telling stories and cutting down trees. Ken was a faithful Catholic his whole life. He was a member of St. Peter’s Church, East Millinocket, but was known to visit whichever church he was close to during his many rides. He was a life member of Knights of Columbus. In addition to his parents, brothers and sisters, Ken was predeceased by two children, Beverly and Dorothy “Dot”; one grandchild, Andrew Deschaine; and one great-grandchild, Alysia Brown. Ken is survived by his wife of 66 years, Theresa; five daughters and four sons, Elizabeth Larlick and husband, Edward, of Doylestown, Pa., Ross Osborne and wife, Linda, of Scarborough, Thomas Osborne and wife, Karlene, of Scarborough, Susan Sickler and faithful companion, Jack Ivers, of South Portland, Nancy McCoy and husband, Pat, of Orrington, son-in-law, Ronald Chasse of East Millinocket, Sandra Deschaine and husband, Ervin, of Medway, Kenneth Osborne II and wife, Sally, of East Millinocket, Patrick Osborne and wife, Melanie, of Lisbon, N.H., and Margaret Popp and husband, Mike, of Sanford. He is survived by 24 grandchildren, four stepgrandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren with three more expected. He is also survived by three sisters-in-law, Isabelle Osborne of Millinocket, Mary Osborne of Quincy, Mass., and Lillian Miller of Goffstown, N.H. All brought incredible love and enjoyment to him during his life, as did his many nieces and nephews and the friends he made during his life journey. A celebration of his life will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, March 14, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, East Millinocket. Hodges Family Funeral Home, Dade City, Fla.
KENNETH OSBORNE
