Saying goodbye to Ross Osborn
Frenchtown volunteer Ross Osborn talks about his restoration of this ancient log cabin at Frenchtown during Saint-Jean Baptiste Day, Saturday, June 26, 2021. Photo: Walla Walla Union-Bulletin by GREG LEHMAN
Ross Osborn, 80, died in hospice care on December 5, 2023 in Spokane following a months-long battle with cancer.
Ross was a retired construction worker who was one of the founders of the Rees and Sumach Community Garden in Walla Walla, where he helped build the equipment shed, fencing, installation and maintenance of the irrigation system, fruit trees, and the general operation of the garden.
He was also an active volunteer with Walla Walla 2020 and its Historic Sites and Markers Project, for which he helped install and maintain interpretive signage at approximately twenty historic sites. In addition, Ross did volunteer work and provided equipment for the Walla Walla Historic Cemeteries group in its cemetery preservation activities.
For the Frenchtown Historical Foundation, Ross was an active volunteer and board member who played a major role in the preservation and restoration of the Prince’s Cabin, as well as taking responsibility for maintaining the Frenchtown Historic Site, including its trails, native grasses, tree plantings, and irrigation system.
Ross’s contributions to his community were many and varied, and he will be sorely missed both as a friend and community worker.
