Gene W. Owens

The Funeral services celebrating and honoring the life of Gene Wesley Owens, 78, of Enid, will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, August 24, 2018, at the First United Methodist Church, with Reverend Randy Mitchell officiating. Burial will follow in the Ames cemetery. Services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.

Gene was born on January 23, 1940, to Joe S. and Ruby A. Owens in Denver, Colorado, and passed from this life on August 20, 2018, in Enid, Oklahoma, surrounded by his loving wife and children.

Gene moved to Enid with his family in 1945, where he attended Enid Schools, graduating from Enid High School in 1958. He then attended Oklahoma State University and graduated from Phillips University in 1962 with a degree in Business Administration.

Gene married his high school sweetheart, Karine Bowman, in 1961, and joined his father in the family business, Owens Supply Company. He managed Owens Supply Company and Apex Warehouse until 1988. He later worked for Cromwell’s Inc. and became Business Manager for Liberty of Oklahoma in 2000.

Gene was an antique auto lover and was active in the Enid Antique Auto Club. His children remember his love of “old cars.” He attended auctions to buy, sell and trade for his collection, and they enjoyed riding with him in the rumble seats in local parades.

He was an Eagle Scout, served on the Campfire Girls Board, and was past Chairman of the Board of the First United Methodist Church.

Gene adored his wife of 57 years and they enjoyed traveling, going to movies, and rooting for their favorite sports teams and players. He enjoyed running into friends and sharing his unique sense of humor. That humor and wit were revealed in numerous rhyming poems and notes that he crafted over the years bringing laughter and joy to his family.

Gene is survived by his wife, Karine Owens, of the home; a daughter, Jill Siegel and her husband Jeff of Chicago; and two sons: Jeffrey Owens of Kansas City and Jay Owens of San Francisco. He is also survived by two beloved grand-daughters: Kate Owens of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Brooklyn LaVelle Siegel of Chicago, Illinois; and one brother, Jim Owens, and his wife Vickey of Ketchum, Oklahoma.

Memorials in Gene’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Preeclampsia Foundation with Brown-Cummings Funeral Home serving as custodian of the funds.

Condolences to the family may be made online at WWW.Brown-Cummings.com