Monday, April 28, 2025
Dexter James Osborne. He was born on a cold December morning in 1932 to the happy arms of Bonnie Bartley and Caner Osborne, who were welcoming into the world their first-born child. But he was a wild child and inherited his native American ancestors' wandering spirit. He ran barefoot across the open fields of Tennessee and swam naked (well, almost) in the rivers, collecting pieces of the past like arrowheads and dreaming of adventures of the future, always followed by his younger brother, Marlin. Even one home was not enough for the boy who moved between his mother’s, father's, and grandparents' tolerant love. And when he was old enough, he took the only path available to more freedom. He was the descendant of brave survivors of the Trail of Tears and thus was a poor man, so he enlisted in the Air Force as soon as he was of age, followed faithfully by Marlin. Dexter, as his name implies, was a clever and talented young man who tested into advanced training; thus, the lifetime connection between the two boys was severed by the Air Force's assignments, and Malin confessed to a small lie about his age while Dexter was sent by ship to Korea. This was when he found himself in dire straits as the wandering young man from landlocked Tennessee found that his body was not fond of the open sea. He became a senior aircraft mechanic and served his beloved country faithfully in that capacity during wartime.
Upon returning to the US, Dexter decided to work his way across the country, charming the ladies with his slow Southern style and self-taught musical abilities. They could not resist his quick, clever fingers…on the gee-tar strings or those wild rides…on his Harley. But his wandering heart was lost the moment he glanced the beautiful Janice across the dance floor one enchanted evening. It should have been just another of his woo them and leave them nights, but he fell hopelessly. It was time for the rambling man from Tennessee to settle down. This was soon followed by happy news and the sale of his AC Cobra, which would not hold a family of three. Dexter never did anything by halves, and when he settled, he settled for life. There was never another woman for him, not even when his lovely Janice joined our Father in heaven, way too young. Dexter designed and built his new family home in a field of wildflowers located in a little town with the charming name of Quartz Hill. He lived in that home until his last couple of weeks of life.
As a young man, Dexter did not have the patience for college, and as the sole provider for a family of five, he did not have the time. His remarkable intelligence enabled him to pass the civil engineering exams and become licensed. He worked at Edwards Air Force Base as a civilian engineer before going into private practice. He retired in 1991 to care for Janice after her brain surgery. She was, after all, the love of his life, and he could not trust her care to another. God carried the couple through difficult times by brightening it with the arrival of their first grandchild, Cody, in December of 1991.
Dexter was taken on a cruise for his ninetieth birthday by his three children, Jeffrey (who carries his rambling sprint), Derek (who possesses his loyal heart), and Melanie (who inherited his charming nature), where he found he was not only grateful for those children, all tall and fair, like him, but also for modern cruise ship stabilizers. He leaves them behind, along with five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, but he now walks hand in hand with Janice and is no doubt followed by Marlin.
