Rodney Osborne, Ohio prison lieutenant fatally shot during training, remembered as hero

WHEELERSBURG, Ohio — To some, he was Rodney. Family and friends called him Joe. Colleagues knew him as Ozzy.

Whatever name folks knew him by, hundreds turned out Monday to honor and remember the life of Lt. Rodney Joe Osborne, a Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections supervisor at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility who died last week at a firearm training facility at the state prison in Orient, Pickaway County.

Loved ones and law enforcement officers from a number of agencies around the state came to pay their respects at Osborne's funeral service, held at the Cornerstone Nazarene Church in Wheelersburg, Scioto County.

Osborne, 43, of Sciotodale in Scioto County, was fatally shot in the chest during training last week at the firing range at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's prison training facility at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Orient, Pickaway County, according to records obtained by The Dispatch.

Friends remembered a man who lived with vigor and was always quick to volunteer. A master of comedic timing. A lover of Dr. Pepper with grenadine and Little Debbie cakes.

"I didn't just lose my dad. I lost my hero, my best friend and my rock," Osborne's daughter, Lillian, said, supported by a New Boston police officer as she gave her eulogy remarks.

Her dad was tough, she said, but also loving and kind. When she would tease Osborne that she would soon be taller than him, he would puff up his chest and stretch his neck as long as he could to prove her otherwise.

A photo slideshow flicked across screens throughout the service showing snippets of Osborne's personal life. Playing with his three children: Chasen Burk, Lillian and Jozef. Selfies on the beach with his wife, Bobbie Jo. Posing in front of a Christmas tree strung with blue and white lights. Snuggling with his grandson Asher on the couch. A family man who loved being outdoors, fishing and shooting guns.

Osborne was also remembered for his dedication to the job.

A Southern Ohio Correctional Facility colleague apologized to Osborne's widow and children during his eulogy for his absences over the years, a side effect of his demanding job.

Those absences, however, meant he was present with his fellow corrections officers and lieutenants at SOCF, many of whom considered him a brother or father figure in their lives. Osborne worked at SOCF for 13 years. Just this month, he was named Employee of the Year at the prison.

"Corrections is a unique profession," said former SOCF Warden Ron Erdos. "For Rodney, it was a calling."

Osborne was a member of the SOCF, which also performed a special recognition in his honor during the service, and a member of the special response team there. He was a member of the ODRC's statewide Special Tactics And Response (STAR) team.

Questions remain about what exactly happened at the firing range that led to Osborne's death. TheOhio State Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal shooting.

Family, friends and colleagues didn't try to seek answers during the service. They simply remembered the man they loved, regardless of what they called him.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lt. Rodney Osborne's funeral draws hundreds of officers, family