Tribute to Owen

On 30th November 2008 Owen passed away. His funeral at Taunton on the 11th December 2008 was attended by family and friends.

This tribute was read by Rev Karen Spray at the service.

Wales
Owen was born the son of a Midland Bank official in Sutton, Surrey in 1923. He went to the Cathedral Choir School in Oxford for some years before going to Epsom College for the remainder of his education. Owen then went to work at the Midland Bank in Bath where he was to meet Margaret.

His family had moved from North Wales. Throughout his life Owen retained strong links with North Wales and felt it was his natural home. Katie Humphries, from a young age, had worked for Owen’s grandfather. Katie lived with the family and was a major influence on Owen as he grew up.

Owen’s parents retired back to North Wales in about 1950. By then holidays for Owen’s young family were often spent at Bangor. It was a romantic place for small children. Katie still lived with Owen’s parents and she somehow provided the bridge between the generations.

Owen’s family, and his brother Wynn’s family, would meet enjoying holidays near the mountains of North Wales and the beaches of Anglesey.

While the children were still teenagers their grandparents. Katie moved to live with Owen and Margaret in Ewell, living with her third generation of Jones.

Later, Owen would visit Katie and her daughter Bronwyn at Abergynolwyn in North Wales in the area that the family had lived. Katie sadly died not long before her 100th birthday. Owen and the rest of the family had continued looking after her right up to the end. Those long held links with North Wales became more tenuous.

Planes & Trains
Owen started flying in 1942, and continued as a reservist instructor until 1960. By the time Owen was twenty, he was already flying military aircraft in the RAF. He learned some of his flying skill in Manitoba, Canada and grew up fast during the 2nd world war flying Ansons, Halifax and Wellington bombers. Most of his wartime flying was as Flight Lieutenant Owen Jones, piloting a Lancaster bomber. He met many new friends including Albert (Al) Lovett. We’re very pleased that Al is here today with his family. Owen rarely talked about these times until much later in life.

After the war he continued flying when he could. He continued training pilots with the RAF Volunteer Reserve. He joined a flying club in Salisbury. Sometimes he would take Margaret or Patricia flying in the local club’s Tiger Moth. The navigation stories were a bit disconcerting!! – “look for a large building” – “is that a road?” – “oh look at the rabbits”. (this was his nickname for Margaret). The time spent flying gradually reduced. Many years later in his 60’s his grandchildren gave him flying lessons as a present – he was overjoyed.

In later years, as he declined after Margaret had died, the trauma of those life-defining war years returned. He researched everything he could about the years he spent flying, the bombers and the operations. By the time he moved into care much of this history was lost. He didn’t seem to know what he was searching for and couldn’t be helped with the search.

Owen also had a love of trains, particularly older steam engines and model railways. Playing model railways with his grandchildren was when he had the most fun. He bought large-scale engines and track and long afternoons were spent with the grandchildren playing with the trains around the house. One of his happiest days was when, nearly 70, he had his first chance to drive a steam locomotive.

Margaret
During the early wartime years Owen worked in the Midland Bank in Bath. This is where he met Margaret and what became the most defining moment of Owen’s life. He married Margaret Tracey on February 19th 1945. They became inseparable for the rest of their lives.

Family – the 1st generation
As Owen’s young family grew up there were lots of times spent together. Camping became the normal annual holiday. One holiday when the children were still young was spent camping in Devon in some appalling English weather, but it was close to a train line which everyone like (a bit like the railway children).

Owen continued working for the Midland Bank in various places, finally becoming a Branch Manager at Ewell in 1984. Outside his work life he would help people with their accounts, he joined the (ATC) Air Training Corps, he joined the Rotary Club and he had an allotment.

Owen’s young family moved a lot with his job, and as always happens during teenage years everyone developed their own interests.

Throughout, he was easygoing and happy with everything he did.

Family – the grandchildren
Owen retired early from working in the Midland Bank. They moved to Longdown near Dartmoor. The four grandchildren would come and stay, and as they started at schools there would be longer times spent at Longdown through the holidays.

Owen continued going to the Rotary Club and helped raising money for charity. He even went to club meetings in other countries while on holiday. He looked particularly bemused after one in the South of France. Perhaps his grasp of French was not quite as good as he thought it was.

However, his happiest times were those spent with the grandchildren:
Playing model railways
Raiding the secret sweetie jar – which naturally everyone knew about
The Winnie the Pooh stories
Stealing a Christmas tree (very small!) from the forest at Christmas in the dark
Lighting those enormous bonfires he liked
Going for picnics on the moor
The annual pantomime outing (parents were allowed if they were good)

The grandchildren loved it too!

For years Owen had loved going to Spain. As it became more difficult for them to travel, Owen and Margaret would spend some time each year at Patricia’s apartment in Nerja.

Over time the grandchildren grew up as well. Ma was becoming ill. D couldn’t acknowledge Margaret’s failing health and was determined to hold on to the wonderful life they had created. Looking back, they were both starting to suffer from forms of dementia. When Margaret died, Owen didn’t know how to cope. Losing Margaret, losing the world of children and the onset of dementia was too much.

The residential years
He moved from Longdown to residential care in Hembury in December 2003.

Owen settled into Hembury Fort with difficulty at first. The intense frustration, so out of character, showed through his worsening dementia. Gradually his new life at Hembury Fort developed. He became the man with the cheeky smile, the man who was always walking – “you want to talk to Owen – he’ll be on walkabout”. Each year the conversations became shorter, but every now and then the real Owen would appear for a while. He died peacefully on 30th November 2008.

Summary
Over the years Owen was always most comfortable as the parent. Linda called him “the father I never felt I had”. When Owen died everyone just said – “I liked Owen”.

Quite simply everyone who met Owen liked him. He will be missed but the memories will linger on.