Grayson Osborne

FOR THE RECORD
James Grayson Osborne – aka J.Grayson, Gray, JGO
September 25, 1938 – September 16, 2023

IN HIS OWN WORDS
Grayson Osborne died this day September 16, 2023. He didn’t ‘pass’ anywhere. His body
stopped functioning, and in so doing, he stopped being. From the moment of his death, he
stopped being an “is” and started being a “was”. What he was, was a son, brother, friend,
husband, relative, immigrant, naturalized citizen, musician, fishing partner, teacher/professor,
psychologist (behavior analyst), researcher, colleague, mentor. There were brief moments at
which he excelled in these roles but for the most part he just “was”.

He was the son of James Norman and Gertrude Sybil (nee: Grayson) Osborne (both deceased)
of Vancouver, Canada and then of Scottsdale, Arizona to which the family emigrated as
permanent residents in 1953. He was the oldest of three brothers, John Leonard Osborne
(deceased) of Mesa, Arizona and Thomas Norval Osborne (deceased) of Young, Arizona. He
married Janet (Kirk) Osborne in 1962, having met her in the Sun Devil Marching Band while
they were completing their degrees at Arizona State University. His first employment was at the
New Mexico Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Santa Fe where he was staff psychologist
and then Director of the Hearing Test and Child Study Center (1965-1969). During the Santa Fe
years the family had two daughters (Lisa Osborne of Salt Lake City Utah) and Stephanie
Osborne (deceased) of Logan Utah. The Osbornes moved to Logan Utah in 1969 where he
was assistant, associate and professor at Utah State University where he was employed
continuously for 35 years until his retirement in 2004.

There will be no funeral. The family asks friends and relatives to mourn and to celebrate
Grayson’s life in the manner in which they are the most comfortable. For himself he would like
to be remembered with (in Billy Strayhorn’s immortal lyric) “jazz and cocktails”.

Janet and Lisa are planning a celebration of life at a later fall date.