Ione J. Owens' Obituary
Ione Elizabeth (Josie) Owens died in Germantown, TN, on September 29, 2015 after a long illness. Born on May 30, 1921 in South Dakota, as a child Josie moved with her family to Waterloo, Ill, where she lived until she graduated high school. She then began working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the age of 17, in Washington, DC and San Diego, from 1939 until 1943. (Her work experience with the FBI is memorialized as part of The FBI Oral History Project and can be found online at the National Law Enforcement website – NLEOMF.org.) After her marriage to Don Garrett Owens, Jr. on February 6, 1943 in Houston, TX, Josie and Don ultimately settled in Memphis, where they raised their children. They were long time members of Whitehaven Presbyterian Church. Josie was an avid bridge player in Memphis achieving Life Master status, but her greatest joy was her four children, who survive her – Don G. Owens, III; Margaret R. Owens; Nicholas J. Owens, and Andrew H. Owens, as well as their spouses, her 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She was preceded by her husband, parents Nick and Margaret Joseph; brother Bruce Joseph, sister Opal Smith, and grandson Don Owens IV.A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 2:30 pm, the family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 1:30 pm at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar Avenue.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to either Grace Community Church, 455 N. Houston Levee Road, Cordova, TN 38018, or The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 60 East 56th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022.
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