Clifford Osborne

ROSSVILLE — Clifford Arlie Osborne, 61, of Rossville, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, April 7, 2017. Arlie was born on March 11, 1956, in Gauley Bridge, W. Va., and grew up in Clay County, W.Va. He loved playing trombone for Marshall University, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He went on to receive his Masters in Religious Education from Temple Baptist Theological Seminary, and completed a doctoral program in Religious Education at the American College of Metaphysical Theology, among numerous other academic and professional qualifications. Arlie worked as a technology specialist for Catoosa County Schools, where he was employed for over 30 years, having started as a custodian. Easily recognizable in his 1987 gray Dodge pick-up truck, he loved tinkering with technology, his vegetable garden, cooking for friends and family, woodworking, playing and listening to gospel music, handing out Moon Pies and making Christmas CDs all year round. He was a long-time supporter of Peoples Baptist Church, pastored by his friend Woody Gray, in West Virginia, and was a member of Hamilton Baptist Church in Chattanooga. He enjoyed attending Immanuel Baptist Church and Woodstation Baptist Church. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), was one of the scriptures he loved most, and he wanted his life to honor his savior Jesus Christ. Always cheerful, Arlie would not view his homecoming to be with the Lord as an occasion to be mourned. He was preceded in death by his father, Clifford Arlie Osborne. Survivors include his daughter, Schyler (Steve Whiteside) Osborne; mother, Stella Mae Osborne; sisters, Barbara Dorsey, Karen (Charles) Amey, and Kathy (Archie) White, and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at 4 p.m. in the South Crest Chapel, with Rev. Ken Herring officiating. Condolences may be sent to www.lanesouthcrestchapel.com Family will receive friends from 2 p.m. until the service time on Wednesday in the South Crest Chapel of Lane Funeral Home located at the end of historic Missionary Ridge, Rossville, Georgia.