Robert W Owen

Robert William Owen, Sr. 1949 - 2011 Robert William Owen, Sr., born October 6, 1949, to Marion and Betty (Potter) Hahn in St. Louis, MO, went to be with his Lord and Savion on September 18, 2011 after a long and difficult battle with lung and heart disease. Bob was raised by Robert L and Christine E. (Clairidge) Owen of St. Louis, MO from the time he was four years old. All parents preceded him in death. Bob married the former Linda L. Finnegan on October 17, 1970 in Cool Valley, MO and she survives. Bob was a highly decorated United States Marine Officer. He started out his illustrious military career enlisting in the “Buddy Program with six other fine young men” in 1968 to serve his country in Viet Nam. He earned many personal rewards, among them, the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with the Combat “V” and the Meritorious Service Medal, as well as many others. Bob came up through the ranks, attaining the enlisting rank of Gunnery Sergeant (E7) and then being accepted into the Warrant Officer Program, a program made of from experts in their specialties. He then became a “Restricted Officer” which took him to his retirement rank of Captain, serving in the administrative field, where he worked tirelessly to ensure that other Marines and their families received proper compensation for their service in the most timely manner. “MIPS” was Bob’s pride and joy of the Admin part of his Marine Corps career. Bob retired in June of 1992 from the Marine Corps after serving 22 years active service, He also worked for Computer Sciences Corporation in Falls Church., Virginia, continuing to work an Marine Corps programs far aver 10 years until health issues caused him to retire and relocate to Central Illinois. He has been able to reunite and enjoy spending time with his natural brother. Paul (Loni ) Engledow and their extended family, to include daughter Jackie (Rick) Thompson and Jackie's daughter Allison Norton and their son, Dakota Engledow for the post seven years until God took him home. Survivors include his wife, Linda Owen of Havana, IL; daughter, Jennifer C. (Joe) Payne of Lynn Haven, FL, son, Robert William Jr. (Karen) o f Guyton, GA, step-daughter, Terra (Jason) Trenner of Vienna, MO, grandchildren, Todd Andrew Papajohn II of Panama City, FL; Taylor Christine Papajohn of Lynn Haven, FL, Dylan Marcus Payne of Lynn Haven, FL, James Cordell Owen of Guyton, Ga, Olivia Kate Owen of Guyton, Ga, Trevor Smith of Vienna, MO, Laine Smith of Vienna, MOand Justis Trenner of Vienna, MO. Bob also leaves two precious great grandsons, Trenton Rose and Cayden Papajohn of Panama City, Fl. Bob’s siblings include Carol (Don) Fulton of Palm Desert, CA; Paul (Loni) Engledow of Havana, David (Pat) Engledow of Pittsburg, KS, Matthew Fritz of Southeast, MO; Patty (Scott) Thoele of Festus, MO, sister-in-law Cindy Finnegan of St. Louis, MO; sister in law Robin (Mark) Slinkard of Cape Girardeau, MO and sister -in-law Lori (Jeff) Finnegan-Neels of Ft. Wayne, ID. There are many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends and will miss Bob and Cherish his memory. Bob loved to wood-work, spending many hours stripping, sanding and staining wood pieces, bringing them back to better than new. He also had a passion for gardening. He loved to work on his vehicles since he was old enough to drive, washing, waxing, buffing, shining, vacuuming, getting everything absolutely perfect. He took first place in an antique restored car show in San Diego, CA with an Edsel one year. He would spend hours in his yard, tending to each and every detail and getting everything looking inspection-ready, until the disease took his stamina away, and he was no longer able to expose himself to those elements of life. A memorial service will be held at the Hurley Funeral Home in Havana on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior to the services. Rev. Sid Davis will officiate. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or American Lung Association. Online memorial messages may be left for the family at www.hurleyfh.com. Hurley Funeral Home in Havana is in charge of arrangements.