John Osborn (YG 1960)
21 April 2025
Old Scholars will be saddened to hear of the death of John Osborn (YG 1960). John Kelvin Osborn born on 29th September 1941, was at Friends' from 1952 to1960, and died on 6th September 2024. His sister, Maggie Osborn (YG 1963), provided the following account of his life and time at Friends'.It was tough for the three of us, John, Jean (Chaplin, née Osborn, YG 1960) and Maggie, being the children of a very strict father and teacher (Kelvin Osborn) at FSSW. John had the additional challenge of undiagnosed dyslexia, with which he coped by fluent speaking and speed reading. He developed a deep love of books and read extensively.During his years at FSSW he gained two other lifelong enthusiasms. On a family holiday to Switzerland Dad took him mountain climbing. At school John built a canoe, which he paddled along the Cornish coast in a storm.John could also be a prankster. In the summer term the in-crowd rolled the cricket pitch in a daily ritual. John and his mates created for them the practical challenge shown in the photo.After school he trained as a teacher, married and had children. He remained an enthusiastic bibliophile and was involved in local politics, CND and jazz.He spent his later years partly in a city (Prague, then Brno and latterly Bratislava), partly up a mountain and partly sailing off the coast of Croatia. He died in Rijeka on 6 September 2024.