Obit Index
Updated: 25 Jan 2012

Restaurant Pioneer of "Chicken in the Rough', Beverly Osborne, Dies at 82

He was a restaurant pioneer, a colorful character, a generous well-like man.

Oklahoma City's business community reacted with those accolades Tuesday to the death of nationally known restaurateur Beverly Osborne.

The 82 year old Osborne, was killed Tuesday when he was struck by a dump truck while supervising work at a landfill site near his him in the 5600 block of N. Beverly Drive.

Services have been set for 10am Friday at St. Lukes United Methodist Church with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery, directed by Guardian Midtown funeral home.

Osborne climbed to national fame during the 19050s as he franchised more than 100 restaurants across the nation serving his "Chicken in the Rough" recipe. At one time he owned six Beverly restaurants in the Oklahoma City area.

Osborne retired from the food service business last year when he sold his remaining two Oklahoma City restaurants to longtime business partner Randy Shaw.

"It was a great loss," Joe Dodson, local cafeteria owner and board member of the National Restaurant Association, said of Osborne's death.

If he had carried on with his Chicken in the Rough he would have been the Colonel Sanders of today," said Dodson.

Dodson called Osborne one of the pioneers of the food service business in Oklahoma.

He said Osborne was a former board member of the National Restaurant Association and a longtime member of Oklahoma Restaurant Association.

Walter Cherry, associate director of the Oklahoma association called Osborne, "an aggressive, optimistic man. A real showman in the industry, but extremely well-like in the community."

Paul Strasbaugh, executive vice-president of Oklahoma City Chamber opf Commerce, spoke on behalf of the chamber saying, " We regret deeply Mr. Osborne's death. Oklahoma City has lost one of its more colorful characters in the business community.

Osborne was also known in the community as a philanthropist. He gave away thousands of dollars over the years to needy young people, ministerial  students and displaced persons. As a member of St. Lukes United Methodist Church, Osborne spent every Tuesday for 30 years visiting hospitalized church members. He was sometimes known to stand on a downtown street corner on Christmas Day and give away silver dollars to passers-by. The money that led to Osbornes philanthropy was earned in an almost story book career in which he worked his way from a barefoot shoeshine boy to a millionaire.

He first came to Oklahoma City in  1921 from his native Marlow, where he and his first wife Rubye established the first restaurant that would grow into his nationwide chicken empire.

He began his restaurant career when he purchased a small confectionary in Comanche before coming to Oklahoma City.

During the Depress years of the 1930s the Osborne's owned several small restaurants but oppressive economic conditions forced them to sell out one by one.

Osborne's sucess didn't begin to grown until the 1950's when he conceived the idea of Check in the Rough during a trip to California.

Osborne is survived by his second wife, Neva; two brothers, Ray, Oklahoma City, Jim, Larned, Kan; two sisters, Bertha Roberts, Sun City, Calif. and Marie Shockwiler, Sapulpa and several nieces and nephews.

His first wife Rubeye died in 1977.

Memorial may be made to World Neighbors, Inc.

Daily Oklahoman, The 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 
November 14, 2002

Neva L. Flanery Harris Osborne died peacefully in her sleep and was carried on angel's wings to be with the Lord on November 10, 2002 one week after celebrating her 90th birthday with family. Neva was born in Hennessey, OK to Louisa Jane and Andrew B. Flanery as one of a set of triplets on October 1, 1912. Neva performed and toured with the Kathryn Duffy studio from age 12 until the late 1930's at which time she met and married her first love, William McKinley Harris, a local attorney and oil & gas man. Neva was blessed to find another love in the fall of her life, Beverly Osborne, of Beverly's Chicken in the Rough.

Neva was preceded in death by her parents, 11 brothers and sisters and her niece, Opal Eaves, who faithfully took care of her.

Neva is survived by nieces Virginia Laxson, Catherine Wolf Kirk, Ann Finley, Nina Flanery and nephews Cecil Flanery, Kenneth Flanery and Mike Flanery. Neva is also survived by numerous great and great great nieces and nephews whom she treasured. Neva was a faithful member of the Beacon Class at St. Luke's Methodist Church for many years and was also a friend to Oklahoma City University. She owned and ran Checkerboard Properties and Harris Oil & Gas for many years. Her greatest joy came from visits with her loving family.

Services will be Thursday 11-14-02 at 2 pm at St. Luke's Methodist Church in the chapel. Guardian North Funeral Home.
 

Sources:  good faith fair use of sources stated above

Compiled, transcribed and submitted by Marti Graham, Oklahoma County, OKGenWeb Coordinator, January 2009. Information posted for educational purposes for viewers and researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.

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