Mr. Thomas Lawrence Osborne

Mr. Thomas Lawrence Osborne, architect, 93, died on January 22, 2022, following a brief battle with cancer.
Mr. Osborne was born and raised in the 2200 block of Constance St. in the Irish Channel of New Orleans. He was a long-time resident of Metairie and finally, Mandeville. A visitation and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Greenwood Funeral Home in New Orleans, Saturday, January 29. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m., with a Catholic service at 11 a.m.
Tom Osborne was the loving husband of 62 years to Joycelyn Mahoney Osborne. He was the devoted father to Linda O. Raymond (Phil), Gerard T. Osborne, Timothy W. Osborne (Cindy), Marcia O Gavin (Michael), and Jeffrey D. Osborne (Marilyn). His mantra to his children was always, “Hard work never hurt nobody.” He was the youngest son of the late William C. Osborne, contractor, and Mary Lacey Osborne. He is survived by 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Mr. Osborne graduated from St. Aloysius in 1946, and was a contributing member of the famed 1944 Crusader football team. He attended Louisiana State University, but took a brief hiatus to serve in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Cadet at NAS Pensacola. Following, he returned to Baton Rouge and was a member of the Pershing Rifle Drill Team. He always cherished his “campus life” and was a true tiger fan. Tom graduated from LSU in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture.
Professionally, Mr. Osborne started his career working for local architectural firms, which designed and built the Lakeside Shopping Center, the Vieux Carre’ shopping area, and one of the airport extensions. He worked for Mason-Rust, which designed many of the buildings and hangars aboard the Michoud Space Center in New Orleans East. Finally, he worked for H.U.D until Friday, November 13, 1972, and started his own architectural firm. He was quoted, “Any day is a good day to quit working for the government.” His other noteworthy projects included Andrea’s Restaurant, Senior Center in Metairie, the Raider Room aboard Rummel HS, and numerous fire stations in the New Orleans area.
Unfortunately for the children in the 4000 block of Metairie Ct, Mr. Osborne’s office was in the family residence. The window of his home office provided a strategic view of the entire street. Many times, the antics of the neighborhood kids were disrupted by a phone call to the parents of the perp...
“Paw Paw” loved a home cooked meal of fried speckled trout, cold beer and strawberries and cream for dessert. Tom loved Mardi Gras and was a member of the Krewe of Elks, Okeonos and Endymion.
In addition, to being a member of the Royal Court of Metairie, he was a member of the Louisiana Architects Association, Society of American Military Engineers, Kiwanis, St. Angela Merici Parish Council, Knights of Columbus, St. Angela Eucharist Ministry, Christian Brothers Foundation, Archbishop Rummel Parents’ Council, and the Jefferson Parish Executive Achievers.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
"Paw Paw" will be missed by all.
Due to COVID 19 regulations, please follow the current restrictions and everyone attending is required to wear a mask.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Mr. Thomas Lawrence Osborne, please visit our Tree Store.