Kenneth Wayne Osburn

On Monday, November 28, 2022, Kenneth Wayne Osburn passed away at age ninety-nine. Ken loved spending time with family. He is survived by his daughter Jan Elizabeth Osburn Durham, and two sons Kenneth Wayne Osburn, Jr. (wife Rochelle) and Alan Osburn (wife Mercedes), five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Born to mother, Ada Eussie Bandy Osburn, and father, Otto Thomas Osburn on August 25, 1923, Kenneth grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He started playing the trombone in middle school and had a love for music his entire life. On May 9, 1942, he graduated from Classen High School, and went to Oklahoma City University on a music scholarship.

On January 15, 1943, during World War II, he was drafted into the Army. In Honolulu, he served as a battery clerk and stood color guard for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later, he was transferred to the U.S. Army orchestra called “The Starlighters” and toured giving performances with Pete Seeger, Alan Ludden (Betty White’s husband) and others. In July 1945, he gave a ride to Gene Autry, cowboy movie star. He was honorably discharged from the Army on October 27, 1945.

He returned to Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. He played in the orchestra and was the right guide for the “Pride of Oklahoma” marching band. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Norman and the Baptist Student Union where he met and married Ann Hallock on December 21, 1948. After getting a B.S. degree in business August 8, 1949, he worked in Oklahoma and Texas, then lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma until 1960 when his employer, Pure Oil Company, transferred him to Colorado. He later elected to stay in Colorado instead of transferring to Texas and worked as a bookkeeper in Denver. Kenneth and his wife, Ann, then lived in Arvada and were married for 60 years. They both retired in 1991. Ann died on February 14, 2009.

Kenneth loved being involved with Southern Baptists and participated in the church singing, teaching, studying, and giving his time and talents to multiple church projects. He read the Bible through every year until he was unable to due to eye problems. He was known for telling jokes.

Ken and Ann traveled to Brazil to spend time with Ann’s brother, Edgar Hallock and his family. They also traveled to Australia to visit son Wayne and his family. Ken collected coins in his latter years. He loved to watch the Oklahoma Sooners and the Denver Broncos play football, especially when they were winning.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 7th, at 11 am in the Chapel at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado followed by a brief graveside service, and a reception at Applewood Baptist Church.