Edward Lawrence Owen's Obituary
Edward L. Owen, 88, passed away on June 26, following a brief illness. He died from cardiac arrest in Castro Valley.Mr. Owen was born on October 16, 1913 in Hayward and lived 85 years in Hayward before relocating to Eden Villa, an assisted living center in Castro Valley, in 1999. He was the eldest of three children born to Annie Lawrence and Edward Roland Owen. His two siblings, Robert Joseph Owen and Mary Elizabeth Doyle, preceded him in death. He was raised in a home built by his father in 1911 on what was then called Bridge ST (now Grove Way), a home that is still in the family.Mr. Owen recalled when a horse-drawn trolley between Hayward and Oakland on East 14th ST was replaced by an electric streetcar, sometime in the 1910s or 1920s. As a young boy, he hunted on land adjacent to what is now Foothill Blvd. and caught steelhead from the banks of San Lorenzo Creek in his backyard. He graduated from Hayward High School in 1932.Mr. Owen met the love of his life, Elvira Ann Silva, at a party in a remodeled chicken coop in the mid-1930s. They were married in Reno, NV on August 25, 1940 and honeymooned on Catalina Island. The couple built a home in Hayward on Filbert ST in 1941 and never lived anywhere else together.In 1937, Mr. Owen joined the Leslie Salt Co., where he worked as a machinist and mechanic for 40 years, except for three years he spent serving in the U. S. Army Air Corps during WWII. He was stationed in Liverpool, England, where he helped service British and U.S. Aircraft. He wrote his wife Elvira letters virtually every day during the war.Mr. Owen returned to Hayward from Europe in 1946. The couple's first son, Dennis Edward, was born in Nov. of 1946. Their second son, Donald Richard, was born in Aug. of 1948 and their third son, Dean Roger, was born in Dec. of 1955.Mr. Owen served in various elected and appointed positions in the Native Sons of the Golden West and was one of the oldest living members of the Eden Parlor #113 (68 years) before his death. He also was a leader in the Boy Scouts during the 1950's and 1960's. Following his retirement from the Leslie Salt Co., Mr. Owen and his wife traveled to the Azore Islands and other locations in Portugal, as well as Mexico, Canada and Alaska.Mr. Owen enjoyed cars, beginning with his first, a Model T Ford, at age 12 or 13, and in the early 1970's restored a 1929 Model A Ford Coupe with his family.Beginning in the mid-1980's, Mr. Owen started proving personal care for his wife, who suffered from a long illness. They parted with her death in 1993 after 53 years of marriage.Mr. Owen was a kind and loving man, who rarely spoke ill of anyone and who accepted other with grace and compassion. He was baptized in the Catholic Church and honored God by imparting on his family the tenet of 'treating others the way you want to be treated.'Mr. Owen was an individual of strong personal and professional integrity. He truly enjoyed every stage of his life and was a committed husband, father and grandfather.Mr. Owen is survived by his three sons, Dennis Owen of Hummelstown, PA, Donald Owen of Portland, OR, and Dean Owen who resides in the Seattle area. In addition, he is survived by six grandchildren, two brothers-in-law, several nieces and nephews, and countless friends and admirers.There will be a funeral service for Mr. Owen on Wednesday, July 3, at 10:00AM in the Reflection Chapel of Chapel of the Chimes Funeral Home, 32992 Mission Blvd., Hayward, CA 94544. On Tuesday, July 2, there will be a visitation at the same location, beginning at 5:30PM until 8:30PM for friends and loved ones. Interment will be in Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park, Hayward, CA.
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