Kenneth Osborne

Kenneth Osborne 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 in Millinocket on Aug. 1, 1923, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Osborne. He married Theresa Michaud on 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 Company, 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 whoever 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 in East Millinocket but was known to visit whichever church he was close to during his many rides. He was a life member of the Knights of Columbus. Besides his parents; brothers and sisters; Ken is predeceased by two children, Beverly and Dorothy (Dot); one grandchild, Andrew Deschaine; and one great-grandchild, Alysia Brown. Ken is survived by his wife Theresa of 66 years; 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 step grandchildren; 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 at St. Peter's Catholic Church in East Millinocket, March 14, at 10 a.m.