Kingfisher residents are mourning the death last week of former citizen of the year and volunteer of the year Scott Osborn.

Social media has been flooded with photos and memories of the local entrepreneur, downtown promoter and perennial volunteer, who died Tuesday at age 53.

A Mooreland native, Osborn traveled the world and lived in New York City, Phoenix and Dallas, among other places.

But since 2006, he called Kingfisher home and he almost immediately began finding ways to serve the community.

Osborn became involved in Kingfisher Creative, helping revive community theater, volunteering with the annual haunted house and organizing a local arts festival.

He also organized a local summer concert series and a tornado relief benefit concert headlined by Stoney LaRue.

Osborn spent a few seasons as director of Kingfisher In Lights, the predecessor to Kingfisher Winter Nights, adding new features to enliven the annual lights display in Kingfisher Park.

His efforts earned him the Volunteer of the Year award presented at the 2012 Kingfisher Chamber Banquet.

(Coincidentally, his brother-in-law Kevin Flynn was recognized at the same banquet as a Hometown Hero for rescuing a motorist from a burning car. )

Osborn became a fixture in the downtown retail community, where he was involved in a number of ventures.

He operated Cabin Fever Mercantile, a consignment shop, in one of Kingfisher’s historic Main Street buildings.

That location later became the Stack Grill, which Osborn eventually managed and then purchased, turning it into a favorite local gathering place for live music and karaoke.

Osborn became a mentor for new downtown business owners and created a number of joint promotions.

During the early pandemic lockdown in 2020, Osborn not only found ways to encourage and support fellow businesses, he also provided food to those who were quarantined at home.

He also hosted a fundraising meal for his employees who lost income during his restaurant’s closure, hosted a coat donation drive, a Christmas party and fundraiser for teens in foster care and helped organize a “Drag Main” event and other diversions for local residents struggling with pandemic fatigue.

When he was recognized as Kingfisher’s Citizen of the Year at the 2021 chamber banquet – the only recipient of both of the chamber’s top awards – Osborn was quick to share the credit with others in the community.

“There are a lot of caring people here,” he said.

Since his death, social media has been flooded with other examples of Osborn’s kindnesses, including a number of benefits he organized on the fly to help pay medical expenses for seriously ill children, late night surprise cake deliveries to people who commented on his many Facebook food posts and

Just before his death, Osborn sold Stack Grill to Brent and Stephanie Snider, who also own The Shed.

At that time, he donated some of his baking supplies to Mimi’s Eats and Treats, another new downtown business.

Misty Eaton, owner of Mimi’s, and the Sniders both scheduled fundraising events to help defray funeral expenses for Osborn’s family.

Eaton hosted a by-donation cupcake giveway Friday, utilizing the supplies Osborn had given her, and the Sniders scheduled a noon fundraiser on Saturday, March 5, at the Stack.

Osborn’s memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday, March 7, at the Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene, 414 W. Hill Drive.

His full obituary appears on page 11.