Dr. John William Osborne

January 30, 1939 - May 16, 2021

Dr. John William Osborne, 82, passed away on May 16, 2021. Born in Sullivan, Indiana, on January 30, 1939, John was a son of the late Otto and Margery (Hulen) Osborne, brother to James Osborne and Mary Madden. He was married to Paula (Motter) Osborne; father to Jennifer (Gary) Eagleson, David (Peggy) Osborne, Melissa Damiana, and Amy (Xan Lynch) Osborne; and grandfather to Nico (Markie) Damiana, Evan Damiana, Maddy Osborne, and Malcolm Lynch. He graduated from Anderson High School, attended Ball State, and received a DDS (’63) and MSD (’67) from Indiana University. John was a Professor and Director of Clinical Research of Dental Materials at a number of dental schools including SUNY at Buffalo, Indiana University, SUNY at Stony Brook, and University of Colorado. He devoted his career to improving treatment for dental patients through improving dental materials and dental techniques. He performed both clinical and laboratory trials and published over 200 articles and abstracts. John traveled throughout the world working with and speaking to dental manufacturers, dental schools, and dental societies. He particularly enjoyed working with dental students, sharing his experiences and expertise. He published 10 critical clinical trials that were used by dental manufacturers to develop improved restorative materials and he was cited by The Journal of Operative Dentistry for classic research for his entire body of work. John was also awarded their Hollenbach Prize. The IADR Dental Materials Group presented him with the Floyd Peyton Award for clinical research. After retirement, John pursued a wide variety of interests including traveling, gardening, wine, genealogy, and creating unique jewelry items out of old watch parts. He especially loved hunting bobwhite quail and fishing. In lieu of flowers, family suggests a donation to Lutheran Hospice, National Jewish Respiratory Hospital, or Anschutz Cancer Center.