Dana Louise Owens

Dana Louise Owens, daughter of Jonie B. Hollis and Jean Anna Tinsley, was born on June 19, 1954, in Newport, Rhode Island. She departed life on November 9, 2019 in Lyons, New Jersey after a lengthy and valiant battle with lung cancer.

After graduating from Robert E. Fitch Senior High School in Groton, CT in 1972, Dana joined the United States Air Force where she successfully completed Basic training and Tech School and was stationed at Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She immediately excelled in her new venture, securing certifications that would come in handy later on in life…

Dana purchased her first home in Fayetteville, NC when she was just 22 years old! She invited her siblings to visit and spend time with her during the summers and it was such a testament to her determination and forward thinking nature and an inspiration to all of her siblings who held dreams of becoming future homeowners. Dana received an honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1976. She relocated to Groton, CT where she obtained employment at Electric Boat.

During the 7 years she was employed on the 3rd shift of Electric Boat in Groton, CT (both full and part time) Dana maintained a household which consisted of her husband and 2 young children. She was a crock-pot connoisseur and always had a warm meal for her family while juggling her different roles. She attended evening classes 3 or 4 nights a week from 1980 to 1984 at the University of New Haven where she went on to graduate with a double major - earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), as well as a Business Administration and Management, General degree. While attending UNH she was also a 1982 contestant in the Mrs. America contest for the state of Connecticut, and somehow found the time to comprise and conduct a survey of 10 percent of the local 3rd shift workers so that she could self publish her very first book “How to Survive the Third Shift.” Alternately, an article she wrote entitled “Night Moves” was published in the June 1983 issue of Bicycling magazine.

Dana was a master at multitasking - often surviving on as little as 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night. A true wonder to behold. Dana relocated to Baltimore after her employment at Electric Boat ended. She obtained employment as an Administrative Assistant until she landed a permanent position with Pharmakinetics and was eventually promoted to Supervisor. She left her position with Pharmakinetics after she was told that the company could not pay their employees for an undefined amount of time. Having two children to care for, she obtained a position at KPMG Peat Marwick (an Accounting Firm) in downtown Baltimore. She started off as an Administrative Assistant and then eventually became their Network Administrator (because of her background).

After KPMG, she obtained a position with Enron. Dana continued preparing for and receiving many certifications for her employment while working at Enron. She was able to disassemble and reassemble a computer and oftentimes the engineers would seek her out for her expertise. Before Enron’s demise, she worked as a Network Administrator for the Division of Social Services Bldg. in Downtown Baltimore.

Upon leaving Baltimore, Dana relocated and settled in New Jersey where she became employed by New Jersey Transit Authority as a private contractor.

To her NJ Transit work family Dana always said that one of the best things to happen (in addition to her beautiful family at home) was working there for 17 years where she had the opportunity to learn, grow and perform important rewarding work like the technical design and launch of the Frank Lautenberg Train Station, the largest rail station ever built in New Jersey. Dana also oversaw the technical implementation of a wireless LAN environment using Cisco encryption covering 350,000 square feet. At NJ Transit, her peers and managers highly valued Dana’s skills and she further thrived, gained more certifications as we (funded her courses) and NJ Transit (paid for her time away), together supported her annual mission to increase her skill base, and continue to do more and better through us at NJT and in her personal career path!

Dana attended Trinity Union American Methodist Episcopal Church (U.A.M.E) and it was there where she saw a need to help families who may need assistance in maneuvering the hardships of life. In June, 2010, Dana became the founder and director of Concrete Roses, a summer program for At-Risk teenagers. Under Dana’s direction, these teens attended a rigorous program which consisted of Image and Etiquette, Scholarship preparation, Community Service, Mental and Physical Health workshops, Recreation, and College Campus Tours. At the end of the program, the teens would put on gowns and showcase what they had learned in front of their proud parents and friends. Dana conducted over thirty(30) college campus tours during the summer months from Yale University in New Haven, CT to the University of Dillard in New Orleans, LA. From June 27- July 4 Dana also led a college campus tour at the University of the Virgin Islands! Dana also assisted in helping students to complete college applications and was instrumental in these students going on to seek higher education and graduating from college and becoming gainfully employed, dreams fulfilled. She continued to maintain contact with many of her former Concrete Roses. Dana also developed a program for young males of color called Boys-To-Men. The program was similar to Concrete Roses but the focus was on young at-risk males seeking guidance/mentors to help them maneuver the trials of life and propel them into becoming productive members of their communities.

Certifications she held:

● Certified Document Technologist

● RTPM(Registered Telecommunications Project Manager)

● RCDD(Registered Communications Distribution Designer)

● MCP(Microsoft Certified Professional)

As children, we received books every year at Christmas, and it was a well-received gift. This sparked our love of reading. Dana was an avid reader and preferred reading biographies on a variety of celebrities,philanthropists, and historical/civil rights advocates. She instilled that love into her children and grandchildren and she was able to share her knowledge with us and generate animated conversations.

Birthdays were special times in our household. Dana carried on the tradition of recognizing birthdays and making them special. She would travel to CT to make sure that family members were honored on their special days. She would always come up with unique gifts and personalize many of them. If we had a favorite hobby or interest, you can believe many of our gifts were theme related. She had taken a cake decorating class years ago, so her cakes were even stellar. Dana’s favorite place to visit on her birthday, was Block Island, R.I. which is the place where she requested her ashes to be spread…

We were taught young, to always be thankful for whatever gift you received and to show your gratitude by sending a thank you card. Dana followed through with this, year after year and even through her long illness, continued to send thank you cards and to encourage her family to send them, which are a cherished mementos.

Dana was the ultimate organizer, she was the one who remained in contact with all of the relatives. The “glue” if you will...She was the one who organized two of the family reunions that were held in Newport, RI. Long before ancestry DNA became popular, Dana was researching our family history. She travelled to the Library of Congress to further her knowledge. She comprised a book about our family history and in it were newspaper articles and diagrams about our background/history. She was a great historian, and the many stories she would regale us with will be sorely missed.

Dana leaves to cherish her precious memories: daughter, Keedah Babb-Grant (42) (Rodney Grant), four grandchildren: Rashidah A. Babb (17yrs); Ahmad J. Babb Jr. (16 yrs); Kenyon L. Grant (16 yrs); Rasoul A. Grant (13yrs); her father Jonie B. Hollis (86) (Mollie Goodman), one brother Michael Hollis (63) (Debra Sholes), four sisters: Casandra Lynne Allen (62) (Alfredo Allen); Joandra Hollis (60), Elena Felder (59), Lajeune Hollis (57) (James Mason) and her daughter-in-law Hanifah N. Latson. Dana also leaves behind nieces and nephews to cherish her precious memory: Dimitrica Jamerson (Bernard), Marcus Felder, Marshall Felder (Asuka Hotta-Felder), Ramona Allen (Kevia Montgomery), Denzel Allen (Allie Lindkvist), Dylan Hollis (Vanessa) and Jacob Hollis.

Dana was predeceased by her late husband Clifford Babb, her late husband Tony Owens, her mother Jean Anna Tinsley Hollis, her youngest brother Shawn Hollis, her brother-in-law Alfredo Allen and her son Ahmad Jamaar Babb, Sr.

She also leaves behind to cherish her precious memory: great nieces and nephews; LJ Jamerson, Harlem Knox Montgomery, Marcus, Merina, and Marven Felder.

Dana would want her longtime friendships to be acknowledged, Debbie Howard, Anna Arder and Martha Puryear.