It is a common thing when someone passes away suddenly, unexpectedly, to try and remember the last time we saw him. What we were doing and what he was doing. Matthew Osborne, editor of The Northeast Georgian, had his pulse on the news. It never failed when an event occurred or someone was being celebrated in our area, Matthew was there.
Matthew Osborne passed away Tuesday at his home in Cornelia. At the age of 47, he leaves behind his wife, Samantha, and three boys, Hunter, Cal, and Ollie. At this time, the cause of death is not known. Arrangements are pending.
For those of us at Now Habersham, he was a colleague and a friend. We admired his skill in writing and reporting. We enjoyed sharing our trade with him. He often saved a media spot for us if we were running late for a meeting. If an interview was being taken, he had no issue with one of us stepping in to take notes as well.
Osborne worked in the business for over 25 years and his experience and know-how were evident. He became the editor of The Northeast Georgian in 2019.
Everyone knew what a family man he was. He spent a lot of time with his boys, especially in the Boy Scouts of America.
Ty Kight, a parent with Osborne in the Boy Scouts, said, “The thing I noticed the most was his love and caring patience with his son Ollie. His work on the paper was great, but his greatest work will show through his children as they grow up.”
His passion for reporting and making sure the story was right was reflected in his work. We at Now Habersham will miss seeing him at county commission meetings. We will miss his dry wit when the elements of a particular story did not seem as they should. We will miss his gift of giving words to keep us all informed of our community and its events.
I remember well an article he wrote about his car, the Vibe. His son, Hunter, is now driving it. He bought it in 2005 and it has over 300,000 miles on it. Osborne had a way of telling a story, which brought the reader into the very middle of it. The air conditioning had given out on the car 11 years ago, and he decided the Vibe finally deserved to be repaired. The last time the car had air, Hunter was 10 years old. Osborne wrote, “But air conditioning is like personality in a pig — it goes a long way.”
As do his words, which he has left behind for us to remember him by.
