Charles R Osborn

Rev. Charles R. “Charlie” Osborn   Keuka Park   Charles R. Osborn, age 95, passed away Monday, September 30, 2019 while in Hospice at the Homestead in Penn Yan, New York. He was born March 10, 1924 in Morgan Park (Chicago), Illinois, the son of Rev. Charles R. Osborn and Viola Doolittle Osborn. His family moved to Niagara Falls, New York in 1933 where he was active in scouting and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Niagara Falls High School in 1942 and entered Colgate University, Class of 1946.   During World War II Charles was a conscientious objector and worked under the sponsorship of the American Friends Service Committee in Trenton, ND doing soil conservation and flood control. Later he served in Big Flats, NY doing reforestation and land management. He became a “guinea pig” when he spent two years in the Cornell Medical Center at New York Hospital where he spent the first year in a plaster body cast and then another year in a newly developed sprayed gauze cast which allowed for more mobility. These bed rest tests were designed to help wounded soldiers coming back from action to recover. He received a citation from the US Office of Scientific Development, thanking him for his contributions to the war effort.   In 1947 he continued his education at Hillsdale College in Michigan where he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership fraternity and he graduated with a BA degree in 1949. He entered Colgate-Rochester Divinity School and graduated with a MDiv degree in 1952.   September 16, 1950 he married Dorisanne Weimert at the Kenmore Baptist Church and in 1952 they were appointed as missionaries by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. He served as the Director of the Anadarko Christian Center which served native Americans in southwestern Oklahoma for 6 years. The Osborns moved to the Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania area where he worked at the Rankin Christian Center while studying for his Master’s Degree in Social Work. He became the associate minister of the First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh. Later he served as the school social worker for the Wilkinsburg (PA) School District.  In 1979, the Osborns moved to Keuka Park, NY and he served the Reed Corners Federated Church and the Jerusalem Water District.   Charlie was an active member of the Finger Lakes Boating Museum and researched K-boats and the work of Murray Wright. He was a member of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport and worked in the Restoration Shop there. He was known as “The Ice Boat King of Keuka Lake”. The Osborns were active members of the Keuka Park Baptist Church.   Rotary International  has been important to the Osborn family as they were friends of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary. Charlie was a member and treasurer of the Rotary Club of Anadarko, Oklahoma and also a member of the Penn Yan Rotary Club.   Keuka College has been an integral part of the lives of Charles and Dorisanne Osborn. He first came to the College in 1934 when his family attended the New York Baptist Pastor’s Conference and he participated in other Baptist camps and conferences each summer. In 1982, Charles and Dorisanne Osborn established the Osborn Memorial Scholarship at Keuka College and since then there has been an Osborn Scholar each year. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Osborn Memorial Scholarship Fund at Keuka College, Allardice Alumni Center, 141 Central Avenue, Keuka Park, New York 14478.   Charlie Osborn is survived by his wife of 69 years, Dorisanne W. Osborn, and three daughters: Anne Alsina of Saranac Lake, NY; Jeanne DiMuzio of Shelton, CT and Carol Buetens of Stuart, FL and Indianapolis, IN. Also surviving him are his sister, Elizabeth Childress of Three Rivers, Michigan and four grandchildren: Rachel Buetens of Indianapolis, IN, Elizabeth (Ema) Alsina of Utrecht, The Netherlands, Sarah Buetens of Portland, OR and Christopher Charles DiMuzio of Atlanta, Georgia. Pre-deceasing him were his parents and his sister, Dorothy Osborn (Keuka College, Class of 1942).   According to the wishes of the family, a time of remembrance will be held later, at the convenience of the family. Arrangements by Weldon Funeral Home of Penn Yan, NY.