Mary Frances Murtaugh Owens

Beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, Mary Frances Owens passed away at 12:45am, Friday, April 1st, 2016 after a long struggle with colon cancer. She is survived by her loving husband of 36 years, Jerry Owens, her daughter Christina Wright, and her siblings Helen Zottoli, John Murtaugh, and Marjorie Baumann.

Mary was born July 20th, 1954. She was raised in the Maryland/Washington DC area by her mother, Helen Zottoli, and attended Montgomery Blair High School and Montgomery College. In 1979, while managing the Silver Spring East movie theater, Mary met and trained the new manager of the Silver Spring West movie theater, Jerry Owens. Both avid film-lovers, movies played an important role in their life together. This was passed on to their daughter, Christina, who spent much of her early life in the movie theaters where her parents worked.

Mary was a hard worker, devoting herself to every job, task, and project she set her mind to. She held an Associates Degree in Art from Montgomery College, and loved to craft and paint. When she worked for the movie theaters, she was known for creating elaborate displays for new films, including a working mini-putting green to promote the movie Caddyshack. Later in life, she began working for Brookland True Value Hardware and Tool Rental in Washington DC, owned by Howard and Marilyn Politzer. In her 23 years there, Mary used her artistic and organizational skills to become an indispensable part of this unique community store.

She loved gardening, nature, and cared deeply for animals, doting on her adored cats. She loved to paint, craft, read, watch movies, try new restaurants, and spend time with her family. We will miss her humor, her energy, her storytelling, and her smile.

A small, private service will be held in Silver Spring, MD on Thursday, April 7, 2016. Memorial donations may be made to your local animal rescue society.