FRANKLIN—Robert M. “Bob” Osborn, 90, died August 13, 2012, in Smithfield, Va.

He was the only son of Robert M. and Eva Gum Batten Osborn of Suffolk, Va.

He graduated from Suffolk High School and attended Virginia Military Institute (VMI) before volunteering for service in the U.S. Army in 1942. He served with the Signal Corps in the China-Burma-India Theater establishing and maintaining communications along the Ledo-Burma Road. He was promoted to Captain and was honorably discharged in 1945.

Following World War II, Bob completed his formal education at Penn State University, graduating with a B.S. in Forestry.

After graduation, he worked with the Virginia Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Forest Experiment Station in Birmingham, Ala. Beginning in 1952, Bob began working for Union Camp Corporation (later International Paper) in Franklin, Va. He held many positions and was a valued employee. Bob retired from Union Camp in 1984 as Manager, Franklin Region, Woodlands Division.

After retiring from Union Camp, Bob spent much of his time volunteering in the communities where he lived. In Smithfield, he assisted Becky Farmer with the Christian Outreach program, repairing homes for people in need. While living in Waynesboro, he volunteered at the Rockfish Gap Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway and was active in the Salvation Army for many years.

Bob was an avid swimmer, and one of his greatest joys was spending time at the YMCA in Waynesboro and the Luter YMCA in Smithfield.

He has many friends who enjoyed his company there.

He is survived by his wife and best friend, Shirley Osborn of Smithfield, Va.; his son, Christopher Osborn of Baltimore, Md.; his daughters, Sallie Justice of Charlottesville, Va., and Trina Miller of Galax, Va.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two step-daughters, Debra Coster and Marianne Hawthorne.

He was predeceased by his son, Robert.

A gathering of family and friends will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 22, 2012, at Gatling Pointe Yacht Club and Marina , 903 Gatling Pointe Parkway, Smithfield, Va. Memorials may be made in Bob’s name to your local chapter of the American Cancer Society.

Wright Funeral Home. Franklin, assisted the family. www.wrightfuneralhome.org.