W. Owen Nitz

A heartbroken family is sad to announce the passing of long time Las Vegas attorney W. Owen Nitz. Owen died on January 30, 2019 after a valiant, hard fought six month battle with cancer.

Owen Nitz was born to William and Elizabeth Nitz in Brookings, South Dakota on September 3, 1932. His family moved to Sioux City, Iowa shortly thereafter where he lived for his first nine years before ultimately moving back with his family to a farm located just outside of Brookings where he was raised. Owen moved to Las Vegas in January of 1952 to serve in the United States Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base. Owen served until 1956 when he returned to college receiving his undergraduate degree from South Dakota State and ultimately his Juris Doctor in 1959 from Denver University Law School. During this time Owen married the love of his life, Janet, on August 2, 1957. Owen and Jan were married for 57 years until her untimely death in 2014.

Jan and Owen moved to Las Vegas in 1960 where they settled and started their family. Owen ran an extremely successful law practice for over 55 years representing many influential and successful Las Vegas luminaries such as Ralph Engelstad, William Bennett, and Mayme Stocker, one of the holders of the first gaming license issued in Nevada. Owen was the trustee of the Stocker Trust which has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to hundreds of UNLV engineering students over the last 40 years. Owen also acted as the attorney for many successful projects, including the Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Imperial Palace Biloxi, the Ralph Engelstad Arena and Rhodes Ranch to name a few. Owen was one of the original trustees of the Engelstad Family Foundation and was instrumental in its incredible growth resulting in millions of dollars in donations over the last twenty years to charitable organizations in Southern Nevada and beyond. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Owen was instrumental in rebuilding both the IP Biloxi and the community itself. Owen became one of the most well respected attorneys ever in Southern Nevada representing people from all walks of life and positively influencing everyone in the legal community with whom he came in contact.

Owen's generous spirit made him a pillar of the community in any number of volunteer and civic organizations such as The Lions Club, Legal Aid Society, a founding member of the Las Vegas Ski Club, Rotary Club and the Lake Mead Yacht Club. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Ralph Engelstad Arena at the University of North Dakota, on the Board of Directors for Opportunity Village, and volunteered his time for numerous other charitable causes. Jan and Owen attended countless charitable functions during their lives in Southern Nevada, including the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow, Chefs for Kids, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Junior League, Opportunity Village, Andre Agassi Foundation's Grand Slam for Children, Nevada Ballet Theatre, UNLV Foundation's Annual Event, and many others, always generously donating to each cause. Owen and Jan were pillars of the Southern Nevada legal, social and charitable community and will be sorely missed.

Owen's zest for life and adventure led him to travel the world over during his lifetime, both with his wife Jan and their three daughters. They traveled to all the continents except Antarctica. Owen and Jan traveled with their daughters across Europe, skied in the Swiss Alps, walked on the Great Wall of China, road the railway across Europe and saw everything there was to see during these travels. Later as their family grew, Owen and Jan took their daughters and grandchildren on trips to Hawaii and other places, always focusing on family and fun. Owen was an accomplished photographer who chronicled these adventures and every other event with amazing photos, many of which are displayed throughout the office building named for he and Jan in downtown Las Vegas.

Owen and his wife hosted legendary parties over the years with Owen always leading the fun as the life of the party. For Owen, if you were a friend you were treated like family, and if you were a friend of a friend, you immediately became his friend. Owen built a magnificent park on his large estate and hosted incredible 3rd of July parties, throwback cookouts with friends and family, and the University of Wisconsin Marching Band, Bucky Badger and Wisconsin Cheerleaders on two occasions when the football team traveled to play UNLV. At all of these parties Owen would lead the festivities, dancing the polka with whomever would join him and generally making sure that all of the invitees had the greatest time ever. Owen also hosted an annual Christmas Eve open house, three weddings, countless Easter egg hunts, birthday parties, anniversaries and any event that needed a party. He was a longtime member of the Las Vegas Country Club, playing only one round of golf in his nearly fifty years of membership, but participating in all the social aspects of the club, including the infamous power lunches with all the movers and shakers of Las Vegas.

OWEN LIVED AN EXTRAORDINARY, SUPER-FANTASTIC LIFE!!! Owen was preceded in death by his beloved wife Janet Nitz, his little brother John (Jack) Nitz, and his nephew Ryan Nitz. Owen is survived by his three daughters, Ashley Nitz, Stacey Albregts (Daniel), and Gina Nitz-Guevara (Mack Parker). Owen is also survived by his five grandchildren, Leah Holleran (24), Zach Albregts (23), Maddi Albregts (21), Spencer Guevara (20) and Alexa Guevara (18). He is also survived by his nephew Dana Nitz (Linda), their children Jordan, Cassie and Josh, and niece Lesli Metcalfe (Bill) and their children Darien and Connor. Owen is also survived by countless friends, clients and colleagues throughout the Las Vegas community and beyond. He touched countless people in Southern Nevada and beyond through his law practice, civic and charitable activities, and his zest for life. Owen's passing leaves a large void in the Las Vegas community. In his honor, live life to the fullest, enjoy everyone and every moment, and donate your time or money to a charitable cause in our community. If you wish to make a donation to a charity in his honor, please consider one of his favorites listed above. We know Owen would also want you to include Jan if you do.

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at Palm Mortuary, 7600 South Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Followed by a continued celebration of Owen's life reception at the Las Vegas Country Club, 3000 Joe W Brown Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109.