Dr. Franklin M. Osanka Ph.D

Dr. Franklin Mark Osanka Ph.D, age 80, passed away unexpectedly Friday, October 7, 2016, at Ascension All Saints Hospital. He was born in Chicago, IL, August 21, 1936, son of the late Frank and Bernice (Nee: Michaels) Owsianka Sr.

Frank joined the U.S Marine Corps at the age of 17 attaining the rank of Sergeant. Taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, he furthered his education earning a B.S. in Education and M.A. from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL and a Ph.D. and M.A. from Northwestern University, Evanston. IL. Frank was married to Linda Lindahl and later to Judith M. Hartig J.D. who preceded him in death January 28, 2011.

Dr. Osanka’s career was divided between university teaching (UCLA, CA etc.), university-level research (Stanford Research Institute, CA, etc) and public administration (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, etc). Dr. Osanka was a member of the American Assn of Sociology; Midwest Sociological Society; American Assn of Asian Studies; Midwest Conference of Asian Affairs; American Society of Criminology; Midwest Criminal Justice Assn; and the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society. He often made academic presentations during the annual meetings of these organizations. He was also a member of the Marine Corps League and served as the Wisconsin liaison officer for the U.S. Academy at West Point. Dr. Osanka authored 4 books and had many articles and book introductions published. His honors included listings in the American Men of Science, Who’s Who in the West, Contemporary Authors, Men of Achievement, and the Dictionary of International Biography. Above all he was a devoted father and grandfather who will be dearly missed.

Surviving are his children, Jeffrey Osanka Ph.D. of Eugene, OR, Wendy (Ken) Jones of San Francisco, CA, Andrew Osanka of Chicago, IL, Lisa (Carla Wallace) Osanka J.D. of Louisville, KY, Robert Johann of Racine; granddaughters, Rosa and Katy Jones; step children, Stephen (Julie) Hartig of Wichita, KS, Tracy (Peter) Pellicori of Mt. Pleasant; sister-in-law, Marie Owsianka of St. Joe, MI; other relatives, and dear friends. In addition to his parents and wife Judith, he was preceded in death by his brother Edward.

A celebration of his life will be held at Maresh-Meredith and Acklam funeral home on Monday, October 17, 2016 starting at 10:00 a.m. Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the funeral home at this time. A memorial service will begin at 11:30 a.m. and will conclude with full military honors. Private family committal services will follow at the Southern Wisconsin Veteran’s memorial Cemetery, Union Grove. Memorials to the Veteran’s Club Legacy Center, 820 Main St. Racine, WI 53403 have been suggested.