| Within hours of
Mark's death, tributes poured in. Mark's
high school basketball coach, Ron
Mazzaferro (LHS '64), told Sentinel
& Enterprise correspondent Jason
Devaney that Mark's "main attribute
was the team...He was a great leader.
After practice, everyone would congregate
around Mark and they would all leave with
Mark. He was just a great friend." In the same article
LHS Athletic Director Chris Young, Mark's
childhood friend and a groom at his
wedding, said: "He knew exactly
where he wanted to go and he did
it..."He's kind of a real success
story. He achieved something that nobody
said he could do. He didn't play Division
1 basketball. He didn't play in the pros.
But he went higher and higher to each
level."
Other
tributes:
Paul
Silas, Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach:
"Mark had a very positive impact on
the players and staff alike. He touched
all of us every day with his charisma and
sense of humor. He was a wonderful friend
and one of the hardest working people
I've ever worked with. We worked closely
together, side by side, for many years
and it is difficult for me to express how
much I'm going to miss him."
Leominster
Mayor Dean Mazzarella: "He always
called me up in the winter. He'd say,
'We're doing the camp again.' That's the
kind of person he was. He never turned
away any kids. We tried to cap it one
year because it got too big. A kid's
parent called Mark and said, 'My son
really wants to play.' So Mark said,
'OK.'"
LHS boys
basketball coach Steve Dubzinski:
"He wasn't caught up in his job
title. He chased a dream (of becoming an
NBA coach) and he got it. This is a guy
who slept in his car as a coach in the
CBA."
Mark is survived by
his wife of 14 years, Kristin-Ann (Esper)
Osowski; four brothers, Henry
“Hank” Osowski of California,
Peter Osowski of Gardner, John Osowski of
New Hampshire, and Thomas Osowski of
Ohio; and several nephews and nieces.
The funeral mass
was held Aug. 27 at St. Leo’s Church
with burial at St. Leo’s Cemetery.
Pall bearers were Dick
Fontaine, Chris Young, Jimmy Long, Peter
Thomann, John Piemontese and Glenn
Chapman. John
Piemontese and Paul Silas gave euolgies.
Memorial
contributions may be made to the Mark F.
Osowski Scholarship Fund, 31055 Inverness
Circle, Westlake, OH 44145.
For details on
Mark's basketball coaching career see Distinguished Alumnus
(Material
and quotes from the Sentinel &
Enterprise, Associated Press and
Cleveland Cavaliers website were used to
write this article.)
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