Bobby Lee Osborne

Bobby Lee Osborne was born on October 14th, 1929 in a house next to a cotton field near Milltown, Alabama. He was the 9th child of George and Jannie Osborne. Bobby's birth was preceded by his 3 brothers: Tommy, John, and Jack, and sisters Maudie, Evies, Pauline, Effie and Resa. Sister Bertha came later and was their 10th and last child. The Osborne family were farmers. As my uncle Jack once explained to me , they were not farmers in the sense that they owned any land. But rather were share-croppers. The land owner would lease them the land , rent them a house, sell them the seed and other provisions. After the Osborne family did all of the work, they would deliver the crop to the farmer. The farmer would sell the crop then deduct what he claimed Bobby's dad owed him. In many cases, the Osborne's broke-even and in some cases they were still in debt. Needless to say, uncle Jack did not speak very fondly of that farmer. Eventually, Bobby's dad had enough of the share cropper life and took a job running the local grist mill in town. The children all took jobs, mostly in the cotton mills. This was the humble beginning of the life of young Bobby Lee Osborne. He often spoke fondly of his early years and his large loving family and how he looked up to and admired his older siblings. Bobby lost his father when he was just 12 years old. He took a job as a janitor at the same school he was attending so he could help his mother. At the age of fifteen he had to quit school and go to work full time in the cotton mills. Having to quit school at such a young age was a regret that he spoke of many times through the years. In 1948, Bobby went to Phoenix City Alabama and enlisted in the United States Air Force. This was the beginning of a journey that lasted 22 and a half years and eventually took him literally almost half way around the world. In 1954, while stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida, Bobby was introduced to a girl from Clearwater, Florida named Anne Marie Flynn. As he has told it many times, it was love at first sight. On February 1st, 1955, at 7 o'clock in the evening they were married at the MacDill chapel. The couple lived on the base, which was very sparsely developed back in those days. Bobby and Anne remembered that they had a Beagle dog that was bitten by Rattlesnakes several times. After the 2nd. time they quit taking her to the vet because they figured she had become immune to the venom. In 1956 their first child, Robert, was born. During assignments at MacDill in Florida and McGuire AFB in New Jersey and in the span of 10 years, they produced another 5 children. Robert 1956, Mark 1957, Glenn 1961....as Bobby tells it they figured out what was causing it. Julie 1962, Jeff 1964, and last but not least, Janet 1966. Bobby and Anne were not home bodies. Even though they had very little money they were always up for some fun and adventure. Whether it was just loading up the kids and driving out into the country or going to a drive-in movie or a camping trip, the young Osborne family with Bobby at the helm, was always on the move. Bobby and Anne also gave their children just enough freedom to explore on their own and to just be kids and enjoy everything that goes along with the wonders of childhood. We siblings are eternally grateful for that freedom and the privilege of growing up in a large family. While living in New Jersey, Bobby worked a 2nd job to support his growing family. One night while working at the store alone he was robbed at gunpoint, tied up with the telephone cord and locked inside a walk-in freezer. When I asked him years later if he was afraid he would be shot he said no, he was worried that he would be hit on the head with the pistol. One wonders how these experiences shape a person's perspectives later in life. In 1967, Bobby received an assignment to be stationed in Japan. His early military training included surveillance and monitoring of enemy communication, including air and sea recon for the Korean war. America was now into the Cold-War and there was again a need for those skills. Imagine what Anne was thinking when she had to take her children to be inoculated for Typhoid, Diphtheria, Smallpox, Yellow Favor, Typhus and God knows what else in preparation for the trip. When it was time to leave, Bobby and Anne loaded up the 4 door sedan and headed for Alabama and Florida to say goodbye to their relatives. After brief visits they proceeded to drive from Florida to California, where they would fly to Anchorage, Alaska and then on to Japan. In true Bobby and Anne fashion, they stopped at anything that was interesting or historical including the Grand Canyon. By the way, the car did not have air conditioning and a good part of that trip was through the desert. Living in Japan from 1967 until 1971 was Bobby and Anne's family adventure of a lifetime. From learning some of the language and culture, to attending the local festivals, taking trips to the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, and visiting dormant volcanoes . Too many things to mention and all the while allowing their children enough freedom to explore and learn on their own. There was rarely a dull moment in the Osborne family. In 1968 the Osborne family experienced a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. As children we were always looking to Dad to see how to react in times of crisis. How is Dad reacting? Okay, then follow his lead. In the days and weeks following that devastating quake we learned valuable life lessons that I am sure have served us all well. When we first arrived in Japan, we were assigned off-base housing until something on-base became available. One evening we heard whining and whimpering coming from outside our house. Dad discovered that several puppies had fallen into an old abandoned well that had a small opening in the boards that covered it. Dad called the base fire department to come out to extract them. The fire department deemed it too risky to send someone in to remove them. Their suggested alternative I will not mention. Dad convinced them to let him climb in with a rope attached, and remove the puppies. Dad was our hero that night and many times since. During Bobby's assignment in Japan he received the Air Force Commendation Medal for meritorious service. This had nothing to do with the puppy incident, Air Force brass would actually frown on that behavior. Bobby retired from the Air Force on August 1st, 1971. He received his official discharge upon arrival to San Francisco, California. Anne wanted to get back to Florida quickly so she flew back with Julie and Janet and in true Bobby Osborne style, he drove his 4 boys from California to Alabama and then on to Florida. Again stopping at anything or any place that was remotely interesting or historic. Bobby and Anne settled into and embraced Florida life again. Retirement didn't last long. Bobby started and grew a successful business that his son Glenn still proudly runs to this day. Bobby became an avid golfer. Anne also took up golf and that game provided them with many trips with friends to places like Scotland, Spain and Portugal. Bobby and Anne have 7 grandchildren and 9 great- grandchildren. Bobby always made them feel special and unconditionally loved. He never met a stranger and met many people and made many friends along the way. He was truly interested in any persons story. He easily mixed with people from every social and economic status. He didn't care about status or degree of education, He only cared about people. Bobby and Anne's love affair was truly an "until death do us part" story. Even as Dementia and Alzheimer's damaged his brain to the point where he could no longer recognize his own children, he would still react to Anne's gentle touch, her kisses and her soft voice. By the grace of God, Bobby Lee Osborne passed peacefully on the evening of June 25th, 2016, with his son Glenn and Daughter Julie by his side. He left a legacy in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be forever missed but never forgotten.