Hugh Whitten Owens

OWENS, Hugh Whitten, 76, of Richmond, Va., died on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. He is survived by his devoted wife of 55 years, Louise Thrift Owens; daughter, Karen Lynne Owens; son, Kenneth Wilson Owens; and daughter-in-law, Linda Mizutani Owens.

Born in Coeburn, Va., Mr. Owens was raised in the rugged mountains of Southwest Virginia, and in 1953, graduated from Norton High School in Norton, Va., He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond (UR), Class of 1957, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma social fraternity. At UR, he was also a member of the Scabbard and Blade, an honorary military society. Upon graduation, Mr. Owens was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served as an artillery officer on a Nike-Ajax and Hercules Surface-to-Air Missile Battery in Ft. Bliss, Texas, and in Pittsburgh, Pa. After his release from active duty, Mr. Owens served in the U.S. Army Reserves with the 80th Division. He completed his Reserve obligation in 1962, attaining the rank of Captain.

In order to enhance his postgraduate professional options, Mr. Owens then attended the School of Mortgage Banking at the Northwestern School of Business, graduating in 1966. Mr. Owens had a distinguished career in real estate from 1961 until the time of his death. He was a real estate broker, a mortgage banker with the Associated Mortgage Company of America in Richmond, Va., a senior executive with the National Corporation for Housing Partnerships (NCHP) in Washington, D.C., and a developer, builder and manager of apartments, single-family lots, single- family housing, planned unit developments and commercial warehouses. The NCHP is a private entity, created by Congress in 1968, to encourage participation by private enterprise in the provision of housing for low or moderate income families. He also owned motels and was a board member and stockholder of a general contracting firm that operated from Virginia to Georgia. Mr. Owens was a general partner in several general and limited partnerships and was the founder and chairman of H.W. Owens, Inc. and of Square One Management LLC. His work-related affiliations were numerous. Mr. Owens was past chairman of the Richmond Apartment Council and served as past director of both the National Association of Home Builders and the State Association of Home Builders. He was a founding director of the Rural Housing Association of Virginia.

His hobbies and sports activities were numerous and varied as well. In his youth, Mr. Owens was active in the Boy Scouts. Throughout his life, he was an avid sportsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and boating. He was a licensed pilot for 40-plus years. His interest in, and knowledge of, automobiles, boats and airplanes was extensive and ever-expanding. Driving race cars in the Richard Petty Experience, flying aircraft from ultra-lights to jets and navigating the Atlantic and the Caribbean waters in a variety of boats and yachts were among his more adventuresome and vigorous pursuits. Other occasional pastimes included playing tennis and golf, swimming, skiing, skeet shooting, white water rafting, hot air ballooning and zip-lining. He truly enjoyed his many travels around the world with his family and friends.

On the domestic front, his cooking and grilling skills were substantial and much appreciated. His Riverwalk Farm crab pots and oyster beds, in the Northern Neck on the Rappahannock River, were very much appreciated too. Demonstrating an enduring, intellectual and reflective side, Mr. Owens was an enthusiastic reader, student of history and a lifelong learner. He collected a variety of books for his extensive home library. Of particular interest were books about U.S. history and the biographies of U.S. political leaders, entrepreneurs, inventors and scientists.

Mr. Owens was an active participant in numerous community organizations. He coached Little League Football, was a member of the Administrative Board and was finance chairman of the Chamberlayne Heights United Methodist Church and was most recently a longtime member of Reveille United Methodist Church. Additionally, he was a strong supporter of many local and national charitable causes. He was also a member of Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond, Va., Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club in Kilmarnock, Va., and Frenchman's Reserve Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. In their later years, Mr. and Mrs. Owens divided their time between their homes in Richmond, Va., Whitestone, Va., and North Palm Beach, Fla.

Mr. Owens will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband and father who consistently put the needs of his family above his own. Self-motivated, self-sacrificing, self-made, self-deprecating, intelligent, witty, warm and charming are some of the words that might best describe him. He was a unique, accomplished and exceptional individual who will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

The Owens family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 27, at the Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd., Richmond, Va. 23229. A funeral service will be held on Monday, June 28, at 12 noon at the Reveille United Methodist Church, 4200 Cary Street Road, Richmond, Va. 23221. An entombment will immediately follow at the Hollywood Cemetery, Eastview Chapel Mausoleum, 412 South Cherry Street, Richmond, Va. 23220. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made- In Memory of Hugh Owens- to the Richmond Special Olympics, 3212 Skipwith Road, Suite 100, Richmond, Va. 23294, or to the Syd Thrift Athletic Complex, Wells Fargo Securities, Attn: Jackie Taylor, P.O. Box 1688, Kilmarnock, Va. 22482.