Donald Sydney Osgood

Donald Sydney Osgood of Park Springs Retirement Community in Stone Mountain, GA, died May 22, 2024. He was born in Lawrence, MA on August 17, 1926. Don, who was 97 years old and had lived at Park Springs for almost 10 years, died peacefully on Wednesday evening after a brief illness.

Don graduated from Lawrence HS in 1944 and spent two years serving his country in the Navy’s small craft maintenance facility in Newport, Rl. In 1950, he married his high school sweetheart Janice Joynson, and in 1951, he graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

After graduation, Don began his 35 year career with General Electric. He was soon transferred to Atlanta, his home base from which he traveled extensively managing installations of steam and gas turbines in paper mills and power plants throughout the southeast. He retired from GE in 1986.

The couple had two sons – Brian and Eric. While Don continued to travel, Jan stayed home with the kids in their Doraville home. The couple lived in this home for 50 years, moving in 2014 to Park Springs.

Don was a dedicated husband and father. The family spent weekends together camping, hiking, visiting family, or working in the yard. The boys enjoyed scouting, and Don was one of the volunteer Boy Scout leaders.

After retiring from GE, Don and Jan continued traveling and eventually purchased a small motorhome. They explored much of GA and the southeast and made trips to New England, the west coast, and several National Parks. They were also active volunteers in their community. They delivered Meals on Wheels, volunteered at their church and with their local AARP chapter, did Appalachian Trail maintenance, worked at their polling center, volunteered at Zoo Atlanta, and did many other projects such as building for Habitat for Humanity and post-hurricane relief work.

When he wasn’t volunteering or traveling, Don enjoyed woodworking, baking, and cycling. He rode with his two sons on BRAG (the Bike Ride Across Georgia) and rode on a bicycle built for three with his son Eric and his wife Linda in several tandem bicycle events until the ripe old age of 84.

Don and Jan were also devoted grandparents to Jason and Nickolas. They spent many hours at the zoo, playgrounds, and other fun places for kids.
Don was a Mason for 74 years and was a proud member of the Chamblee Sardis Masonic Lodge. He became a Mason in New England in 1950, but his Chamblee brothers welcomed him with open arms when he joined their lodge in his late 70s.

Don’s world changed in 2005 when Jan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Don cared for Jan at home for 8 years before she required more assistance and moved to a memory care facility and eventually to the skilled nursing facility at Park Springs. His dedication to Jan was and is still legendary at Park Springs. Jan died in 2017, leaving a huge hole in Don’s world.

Don is survived by sons Brian Osgood and Eric (Linda Wood) Osgood and grandsons Nick (Emily) Osgood and Jace (Kelly) Cadle, and several loving nephews, nieces, great-nephews, and great-nieces. Many of these extended family members attended his 95th birthday party in Stone Mountain in 2021.

A graveside Masonic service will be held at North Atlanta Memorial Gardens in Dunwoody on Saturday, June 1 at 11:00am. Don’s Celebration of Life will be held in the Community Hall at Park Springs in Stone Mountain that same day at 1:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to BrightFocus Foundation (for Alzheimer’s Disease Research), http://www.brightfocus.org/donate), 22512 Gateway Center Dr., Clarksburg, MD, 20871 or the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/?form=FUNQZNCYXKB&lang=en-US), Metro Atlanta Regional Office, 41 Perimeter Center East, Suite 550, Atlanta, GA, 30346.