Fred Eugene Owen

If ever there was a man of meekness as Jesus described in the New Testament, it would be Fred Eugene Owen. Fred was born on April 24, 1945 and passed into the arms of his Lord and Savior on November 12, 2023. He was born to Horace Tillman Owen, Jr. and Verna Mae Beard in Borger, Texas. After Fred's mother passed away when he was four years old, the family moved to Ft. Worth. Fred and his sister, Patricia, lived in the Masonic Children's Home for two years until their father married Mildred (Millie) Shannon.

While Living in Ft. Worth, Fred attended and graduated from Trimble Technical High School where he was enrolled in ROTC. After graduating high school, he continued to participate in ROTC at what is now known as UTA. Later he graduated from UTA with a Bachelor's Degree in history.

Fred also enlisted in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and was later promoted to 1st Lieutenant. While serving in Vietnam, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for his meritorious service, the National Defense Service medal, the Vietnam Service medal, and the Vietnam Campaign medal. Upon leaving the military, he met and married Adrienne Czekaj and later had a son, Edward Tillman Owen.

While working for the City of Irving, Fred earned his Master's Degree in Environmental Science from UTD. Because of his love of learning, he completed all of the course work for a doctorate degree with the exception of writing the dissertation. Despite the fact that Fred did not use a voluminous vocabulary, had had an extensive knowledge of words and their usage.

Later he married Claire Goodwyn Routson on December 18, 1993. Fred willingly commuted from the Garland/Rowlett area to Irving for nine years until he retired in 2002 after twenty-eight years of employment.

Fred's interests included computers, volunteering in the community and at church, and completing Bible Study Fellowship courses for untold years. BSF greatly deepened his faith, his becoming a prayer warrior, and his knowledge of the Bible.

Fred enjoyed working with computers immensely. He took computer courses at Eastfield Community College in order to familiarize himself with software/hardware and even building computers. He thoroughly enjoyed helping others by solving their computer problems.

For the community, Fred joined both VIPS (Volunteers in Police Services) and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). At church, he was a member of the Security Team and also helped in leading the Grief Share class for several years.

As a result of Fred having lived in an orphanage, he had a passion for orphans. He financially supported many of them on the continent of Africa for more than thirty years.

Everyone loved Fred. Church members, family members, and other friends recognized his meekness and his Christian walk. The two areas of Fred's life that were admired the most was Fred being a prayer warrior and his knowledge of the Bible. For years, he would pray for a minimum of 45 minutes per night for people and their needs, for the unsaved, for our country and for the world, for orphans, for the poor, and for widows to name a few. He kept his prayer lists well organized and up-to-date. Fred loved his family. Even though he was quiet and shy, his devotion to them never wavered. He prayed for them every day, and his last wish was for each of them to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Fred is survived by his loving wife Claire; his son Edward and his wife Ladan, and grandson Alexandre; and his stepson Mark Routson and his wife Karla, and grandchildren Matthew and Addison. Fred was preceded in death by his father, mother, stepmother, and sister, Patricia Owen.

A memorial service will be held on December 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church Rowlett, 4309 Main Street, Rowlett, TX 75088.

A military service will be conducted on December 19, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy., Dallas, TX 75211.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Building Fund of First Baptist Church Rowlett; or to the Rowlett Animal Shelter, 4402 Industrial Street, Rowlett, TX 75088, or to an orphanage of one's choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Grove-Hill.com for the Owen family.