Who is Dennis James Owens of Kansas City is the correct answer in the form of a question to the following: He went home to the Lord on December 16 having just turned 72; was a loving husband to Cathy just shy of 48 years (adopting her surname Campbell as a second middle name when they married), a beloved dad to Camp (Vivienne), Mollie (Stephen), Mary Theda (Igor), and Sean (Marlin), and a doting “Pap-O” to Jameson, Sawyer, and Magnus. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Josephine Owens and survived by three brothers, four sisters, and many nieces and nephews. He was an appellate attorney of renown, respected by his peers, having won a case in the Supreme Court of the United States and editor of the Appellate Practice Journal for 25 years; a winner of many awards including “Lawyer of the Year,” once interviewed by the White House for a federal judgeship. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in Shawnee, Rockhurst College in Kansas City, and received a Jurist Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He led a platoon of Marines in combat as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam, 1969-70. He was named by the Jaycees as an Outstanding Young Missourian in 1980. He served in the Kansas City Consular Corps as the Honorary Consul General of Austria for 30 years. He held memberships in the American Law Institute, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Sons of the American Revolution, Vietnam Veterans of America, Heart of America Council Tribe of Mic-O-Say, Knights of Columbus, and Missouri Republican Party, serving as state committeeman and Presidential Elector. He thoroughly enjoyed model railroading through several model train clubs and as a member of the Burlington Route Historical Society. He exhibited a lifelong love of reading and owned a personal library of more than fifteen thousand books, donating many to schools, libraries, and universities. Last but not least, he was a winner on TV’s “Hollywood Squares” and a champion on “Jeopardy.” These are all things we love and will remember forever about our Dennis Owens.
Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. on December 26 at McGilley Memorial Chapel (Midtown) with a Celebration of Life Mass at 10 a.m. on December 27 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City. Burial will follow at the National Cemetery in Leavenworth, Kansas. Donations may be made to Morning Glory Ministries at the Cathedral which benefits the needy and homeless, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation or a charity of your choice.
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