Years ago, living in the state of New York, William “Bill” Osborn heard about a nationwide search for applicants for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He travelled across the country, interviewing and accepting a position in an agency where he could pursue a specialized field and serve in a challenging area.
A position with the Arson and Explosives Detail was what he had “always, always wanted,” Sheriff Robert Luna told family members, friends and law enforcement officers who gather for his funeral service at Friends Church in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
In 2019, he got that job, working on the unit as a detective until the 58-year-old was killed in an explosion at the Biscailuz Training Facility on July 18, alongside detectives Victor Lemus and Joshua Kelley-Eklund. It is believed that Osborn and the two other detectives were killed when one of two grenades seized a day earlier from a Santa Monica apartment exploded.
As an arson explosives detective, Osborn was part of an “elite, highly specialized”, team, the sheriff explained. “I can’t begin to count how many lives Bill was personally responsible for saving. …
“Bill’s job required him to regularly train and care for his explosive dog Kimber, but if you asked him Bill would say he wasn’t really a pet guy,” the sheriff continued. “What he wouldn’t tell you is that when he was relaxing at home he could be seen with his family cat Gypsy sleeping on his lap, and if the cat wasn’t around, the family dog, a 160-pound Cane Corso named Zeus would try to do the same.”
Osborn grew up in New York, having four siblings, learning about fixing nearly anything and gained electrical expertise from his father. He went on to earned an associate’s degree from Hudson Valley College.
He enjoyed hockey and was a New York Yankees fan; two team representatives provided video tributes played during the service. During his 33 years with the Sheriff’s Department, he met his wife, Shannon, a detective. They eventually married, creating a blended family with six children.
“In his career, he lived with courage in ways most people cannot imagine,” she told the congregation. “I see all the best parts of him still here,” in the couple’s youngest son.
She said her heart was “both broken and full. …
“Broken because I lost the love of my life, my person, my soulmate, the father of my children, and full because of the love and beautiful memories that he gave us,” she said.
Pastor Matthew Cork called him a “baby whisperer” when it came to his first grandchild. “The fact that Bill left behind a place that can never be filled is a high tribute,” he said.
A daughter, Rachael Osborn, remembered a family trip to Hawaii when Osborn had her and her brother laughing as he gently poked fun at their grandmother. A son, Jeff Osborn, cherishes memories of playing video games with his father. A brother, Tom Osborn, remembered sharing a bunk bed with his brother and watching the World Wrestling Federation, and camping out in the rain.
Osborn had recently applied for retirement, and wanted to get a 1968 Camaro and work on it as a project car.
A band performed “The Weight of the Badge” by George Strait as photos of Osborn’s time as a sheriff’s deputy were displayed, and those of his family. The Los Angeles Police Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, an Irish pipe band composed of active and retired law enforcement officers from across Southern California, also played.
Luna presented Osborn’s wife with the flag that had draped his coffin.
“You will always be a part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” Luna said to her and the family.
(Services for the other two detectives were expected to be private.)
City News Service contributed to this report.