Celebrating the life of

Dustin Osborn

17th February, 1978 - 6th January, 2023

Dustin was a light in every room he entered. He burned brightly and left us too soon, but his memory lives on in the way he touched our lives. Please share your memories of Dustin below. Dustin's son, Julian, should have a chance to know what a wonderful man his father was. A college fund has been created for Julian. If you wish to contribute, you may do so by following the instructions below... more

Family and friends

+ 10

Join Memories to request access to contribute your cherished photos, videos, and stories to Dustin's memorial with others who loved them.

Join Memories

Dear Julian, I can guess how much your dad loved you because once upon a time he was the nicest, most creative, thoughtful friend to my two sons, Constantin and Philip. He took them skiing and gently brought out their ski daring. He looked at stars with them and showed them how vast the universe is. Look for him among the stars now and know his...

Anne Higonnet2003

Loved By

2004New Haven, CT, United States

Kathryn Cahan Celebrating the end of law school.

Loved By

2004

Paul Szynol Law school winding down.

Loved By

2004Yale

Etelle Higonnet Dear Julian, In thinking about what to share with you about your father's wonderful qualities, I hardly know where to start. Fiercely loyal, incredibly smart, breathtakingly adventuresome, kind, intellectually curious... I could go on and never feel I had done him justice. Some of my favorite memories in life are of him introducing me to magic winter wonderland ski adventures that he fearlessly embraced, plunging through trees and powder galore with verve and pizzazz and spectacular sill; or watching the stars for hours while listening to him explain astronomy innovations as I peered through his telescope and broadened my mind to see more of the universe thanks to him. He shone a bright light in my family's life, and we all loved him very much. I believe he is watching over you now and always. Etelle

Dear Julian, Many years ago, when I was your age, Dustin looked after me with the kindness of a parent. I can only imagine how wonderful he must have been to you as his son. That sort of love never really goes away, and it keeps on living with you in your heart. Constantin

Etelle Higonnet2004

I was your Dad's friend in law school and for many years after an all too infrequent advisor (I'm the blonde haired guy in John and Paul's pictures). Dustin had a warmth to him that was unparalleled. He could draw you in and make you feel loved just by the sublime openness of his heart. Every time I talked to him I felt smarter, better, and wi...

Brian ODonoghue1 Mar 2004

25 Feb 2005New York, NY, United States

Matthew Heyn Dustin and his sister, Natalie, from when he lived in New York and clerked for Judge Owen, just after law school.

Loved By

5 Sep 2005Denver, CO, United States

Matthew Heyn Dustin lived in Denver when he clerked for Judge Lucero at the Tenth Circuit. He loved mountain biking.

1 Oct 2005Little Rock, AR, United States

John Noonan Dustin was the most supportive, loving friend. He was there for me when I needed him to be there.

6 May 2006Colorado

Matthew Heyn While clerking in Colorado, Dustin submitted two 14,000-foot peaks in one day. The next day, we went mountain biking at Keystone (or Breckenridge).

4 Jun 2007Costa Rica

Matthew Heyn Dustin was an avid birder in addition to doing photography and amateur astronomy.

8 Jun 2007Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

Matthew Heyn

15 Sep 2007Los Angeles, California

Matthew Heyn

2 May 2008Joshua Tree, CA

Matthew Heyn Rock climbing and camping in Joshua Tree

Loved By

WWMHPS

2009Brooklyn, NY

M W Dustin and his beloved dog, Charlie. They loved to explore the woods together, Dustin on his mountain bike and Charlie excitedly running after him. (And, of course, play the occasional video game together with Charlie's friend, Daisy...)

Loved By

31 Jan 2009East Hampton, NY, United States

M W Dustin was an avid astronomer, and encouraged those around him to discover the wonders of the night sky. He opened people eyes to incredible things that were right there for them to see, but that some go a lifetime without ever noticing. (Most of these photos are of your dad at some sort of telescope convention, perhaps meeting some famous astronomers? I can't remember the details but he sure seems happy!)

17 Feb 2009

M W Your dad on his 31st birthday with many (blurry, sorry!) friends! :)

1 Mar 2009

Matthew Heyn Dustin was a semi-professional snowboarder when he was young and never stopped snowboarding. He loved the adrenaline rush. He loved hanging out with his life-long friend, Cappy.

Loved By

MHPSCC

1 Aug 2009

M W Dustin was up for anything -- a 40 mile bike ride, a fiercely competitive game of kids' basketball, birding with his binoculars, and even waking up at 4am to stand in 6 degree weather for 8 hours to watch Barack Obama's first inauguration. (Brrrrrrrrr...) Of course, he wasn't always at play; often, he put on a tie and went to work, and spent many happy hours writing with fountain pens from his carefully curated collection. And sometimes, he even slept. Usually with a dog.

Loved By

MHPS

1 Sep 2009New York, NY, United States

M W What an incredible and loving family you have.

20 Sep 2009Puerto Rico

M W Dustin hiking in the El Yunque rainforest of Puerto Rico. He was always adventuring, exploring, and living life to its fullest.

29 Jun 2014

Seana Shiffrin

9 Sep 2014

Matthew Heyn On this Costa Rica trip, we went horseback riding, hiking and white-water rafting.

Loved By

10 Sep 2014Costa Rica

Matthew Heyn Dustin and I traveled to Costa Rice twice. We had so much fun both times.

Loved By

23 Dec 2016Santa Monica, CA, United States

Matthew Heyn Dusin's marriage ceremony was in Santa Monica. He knew he was lucky to have Camila and was so happy.

2017

Paul Szynol coffee, bagels, and good conversation.

Loved By

WWMH

2017New Haven, CT, United States

Paul Szynol Dustin always had a positive, warm, and open spirit, but with Camila he seemed to find his center and a deeper contentment; it was really nice to see him so moored and happy.

13 Apr 2017

Seana Shiffrin Another picture with Calvin from 2017

20 Aug 2017Jackson, WY, United States

Matthew Heyn Dustin and I went to Grand Tetons National Park to watch a total eclipse of the sun. It was a great road trip. Dustin was in tears for the awe inspiring beauty of the sun going dark.

Loved By

Oct 2017New Haven, CT, United States

Will Wargo Calvin, Dustin's beloved pet. I took this picture when I visited Dustin at his apartment in New Haven back in October 2017. It was a memorable trip filed with video gaming, martinis and great conversations.

10 Oct 2018

Seana Shiffrin

Loved By

22 Dec 2018Playa Vista, CA

Matthew Heyn Dustin loved Julian so so much.

24 May 2019

Seana Shiffrin

24 May 2019Los Angeles, CA, United States

Matthew Heyn After finishing Yale Divinity School, Dustin restarted his legal career in California. He passed the California bar and worked for a series of Justices of the California Court of Appeals, who inspired him. Here Justice Wiley swears him in as a member of the California Bar.

For months now, I have been reflecting on the shock of Dustin’s death. I imagine everyone who knew him was stunned by his sudden passing. I personally found it hard to accept at all. Dustin was the picture of one fully engaged on every front: personally, professionally, and with the world at large. In 2019, Dustin rescued me. I had just bee...

John Wiley1 Jan 2020

Loved By

4 Jan 2020Huntington Beach, CA, United States

Matthew Heyn Dustin tried to do something fun or educational for Julian almost every weekend. Here we went for a walk through the Bolsa Chica wetlands to look for sea birds.

22 Aug 2020Santa Monica, CA, United States

Matthew Heyn Dustin was like a second father to my kids. We has so many adventures together.

1 May 2022Palm Desert, CA, United States

Matthew Heyn At the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert. This was one of his favorite places to take Julian. Dustin was a devoted husband and father.

9 Oct 2022La Cañada Flintridge, CA, United States

Matthew Heyn For Julian's birthday, Dustin took friends and family to Descanso Gardens. He loved going there with his camera.

I am an attorney at the First District Court of Appeal. Dustin and I shared the case work for a judge over the past few months. When I first spoke with him, I was immediately struck by the positive energy and warmth in his voice. I appreciated the ways in which we were able to help each other and talk through questions. It was clear that he car...

Elizabeth Balassone31 Dec 2022

Loved By

I am the Law Librarian at the California Court of Appeal, Second District in L.A. My colleague, Alley Millard, and I worked with Dustin. We both enjoyed our time with him. He was so grateful for any assistance the Library provided, even simple gestures like offering him older editions of books. Dustin brought his little boy, Julian, to the Librar...

Elizabeth Caulfield2023

Loved By

Dear Julian, I've been thinking a lot about what to write to you about your father, what I could offer. While I and everyone else could talk endlessly about his many wonderful qualities -- his warmth, his loyalty particularly - one of the things that I've found hardest to capture in a memorial is how much *fun* Dustin was to spend time with. We ...

David Schleicher2023

Loved By

I am an attorney at the Court of Appeal where Dustin came to work several years ago. He started with Justice Wiley in our division so we had the opportunity to get to know each other. I liked Dustin immediately. I'm usually the too-chatty person that annoyingly acts like I've known someone for years when we've just met. That didn't seem to both...

Barbara Seeley Moreno10 Jan 2023

Loved By

I was fortunate to work with Dustin for nine months as a justice pro tempore on the Second District Court of Appeal. Due to Covid restrictions, we were able to meet in person only once; otherwise, our relationship was entirely virtual (sometimes on Zoom or BlueJeans but mostly over the phone). And yet, as Elizabeth Balassone aptly said, Dustin's ...

Charles Crandall18 Jan 2023

This is Helen Bendix. I worked with Dustin when he was a research attorney for Division One of the Second Appellate District. Dustin was a beautiful man in visage and stature, but more to the point, in his intellect and soul, his sense of utter wonder. This wonderment was evidenced in his stories about Julian, in which Dustin would come into my ch...

Helen Bendix10 Jan 2025

Loved By

WWAWCC