Thomas Irving Osborne, age 91, passed away on Mon., Feb. 5, 2024 in Madisonville, Ky. He was born on July 2, 1932 in West Point, Miss., son of John Henry Osborne and Catheryn Pettigrew Osborne.
He had two older brothers, John Henry, Jr. and George Daniel Osborne, both of whom predeceased him.
He was married to Barbara Priddy Osborne for 45 years until her death in 2001 and had two daughters. Cathryn Osborne Ballesteros preceded him in death.
He is survived by his daughter Anne Osborne Howard, her husband Michael Howard and grandson, Alexander Howard all of Madisonville, Ky., and one granddaughter, Leilani Ballesteros Cheever and her husband Scott Cheever of Ballwin.
Tom grew up in Charleston, Mo. and graduated from high school there in 1950. He proudly served in the U. S. Navy from 1951-1955. He attended the University of Missouri Law School on the GI Bill and graduated with a JD in 1961. After several years in private practice in Kansas City, Tom was appointed Prosecuting Attorney in Audrain County, in 1968 serving for 32 years before retiring in 2003.
He was a volunteer with the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization, and was proud to have been the first prosecutor in Missouri to win a precedent-setting felony murder conviction in a drunk driving case. He was a long-time member of the Mexico United Methodist Church. He enjoyed going out to his “farm” to fish or just enjoy the outdoors, and hosted many Memorial Day picnics there. He was an early and avid computer geek and a life-long tennis fan, right up to watching the most recent Australian Open.
The family will host a reception on Sat., Feb. 24, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Mexico.
