Harold Wayne Osborne

Dr. Harold W. Osborne died peacefully of natural causes in his sleep at 12:04 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, at Providence St. Catherine’s in Waco, after a brief stint in hospice care. He was 89 years old. Born the fifth child of a hardscrabble mule skinner in El Dorado, Arkansas on Sept. 5, 1930, Harold was the only one of six children to attend college. He said that he knew from the tender age of eight that he would one day teach Sociology at Baylor University. After earning his BA from Ouachita College, he went on to get his master’s and PhD from LSU, and soon after took the exact job he’d predicted he would have. A beloved professor of Sociology at Baylor for the ensuing 44 years, Dr. Osborne chaired the Department from 1990 until his retirement in 2002. Harold served as a US Army weapons instructor at Fort Campbell and Fort Jackson from 1952 to 1954. In 1953, he married the love of his life, June Williams, with whom he celebrated 54 years before her death in 2007. A seasoned world traveler, Harold visited all 50 States, and over 20 countries on three continents throughout his life, often accompanying June on her many birdwatching excursions. She would have described Harold as the “rarest bird she ever met.” He was indeed a singularly extraordinary man. Throughout his four decades at Baylor, Dr. Osborne touched tens of thousands of lives. He was awarded “Outstanding Professor of the Year” in 1977, although his students might argue that he deserved that honor more than just the once. Alumni and faculty alike remember him as kind, witty, quick with a joke and a smile, and an inspiration to many. Barbara Walker, the first Black woman to graduate from Baylor, recalls Dr. Osborne as especially supportive and instrumental in guiding her career as a social worker and pastor. Harold was anti-racist before it was cool, and implanted a strong sense of social justice into those close to him, not so much with words as with actions, setting a powerful example of compassion and love for all. He relished a steaming bowl of gumbo and a cool slice of lemon meringue pie almost as much as spending time with his extended family, innumerable friends, the Baylor community, neighbors at Stillwell Retirement Community, and the various churches he attended. An expert whistler, brilliant storyteller, poet, and amateur scat singer, Harold was equally at home in mountain forests surrounded by birds as he was in the classroom. Never lacking for intellectual curiosity, Harold remained an avid reader throughout his life and was always ready to discuss whatever books had his attention. An eternal optimist, Harold’s personal motto was, “Don’t sweat the small stuff…and: it’s all small stuff.” He effortlessly discerned the faintest of silver linings in the darkest of clouds. Family and friends knew him as a steady rock of unshakeable hope, colored with bottomless generosity, truly unconditional love, genuine kindness, gentle wisdom, and a playful sense of humor that never left him, even after a stroke in 2012 altered his mobility. Hugs from Harold were among the best a human could get. Harold is preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Mary Eunice; wife, June; sisters, Alene Vernon, Frances Reibe, and Carolyn Winberry; brothers, Gerald and Buster; and son, Van. He is survived by sons, Michael and Sam, and their partners, Carey Casey and Audra Meador; grandchildren, Kelsey and Randy McGee, Wheeler and Shauna Osborne, Jackson Osborne, and Kaleb Meador; and great-grandchildren, Tripp, Barrett, Brock, Morgan, and Anson. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be made to the Audre Rapoport Planned Parenthood Health Center in Waco. A lifelong Democrat, Harold would remind everyone to please exercise your right to vote (blue) in November. Arrangements are with Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Plans are for a socially-distanced outdoor memorial service scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Saturday, Sept 5, at the oak grove at DaySpring Baptist Church (7900 Renewal Way, Waco, TX 76712). Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chair(s). Face coverings are strongly recommended. Service will be livestreamed on DaySpring's YouTube channel for those not comfortable or unable to attend in person. Rev. Sam Osborne will officiate. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.