David Owens

David W. Owens, age 95, died Thursday, April 1 at Van Crest Nursing Home following a ten-day illness. His long life was even more remarkable considering he fought a year-long battle with cancer 44 years ago. For the rest of his life, he offered encouragement to others battling cancer. Dave was born December 5, 1925 in the farmhouse in York Township and lived almost his entire life on Jonestown Road. His parents were E. Glen Owens and Leona (Davies) Owens. He married Jean (Keirns) Owens November 28, 1949, who survives him. He had four children: Dennis Owens (Deceased), Mary Ann Owens of Baltimore, Maryland, Michael David Owens (Diane) of Middle Point, Terry Dean Owens (Debbie) of Ohio City; seven grandchildren: Ryanne Bollenbacher (Steve) of Van Wert, Matthew Owens (Crista) of Lima, Ohio, Adam Owens (Morgan) of Venedocia, David Mathews (Beverly) of White Hall, Maryland, Jenny Slattery (Mike) of Vienna, Virginia, Mandy Lamb (Travis) of Franklin, Ohio and Seth Owens (Kylie) of Van Wert, three step grandchildren: Curtis (Tanya) Ropp of California, Tracy Ropp of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Ashley Miller (Scott) of Van Wert; seventeen great grandchildren: Kendall, Luke, Brezlyn, Elijah, Grant, Carter, and Gwyneth Owens; Madi and Mikey Lamb; Alyssa, Lauren, and Owen Mathews; Claire, Walker, Danielle, Whitney, and Simon Slattery, and six step-great grandchildren, Calvin Ropp; Zane, Camden, Neive, Bellamy, and Cabot

Dave was a member of Salem Presbyterian Church his entire life. He served on the Trustees and the Session for several terms. He was proud of his Welsh heritage and was pleased when DNA confirmed that he was 93% Welsh. He was known for his wonderful tenor voice. He sang in many ensembles through the years, including for over 100 funerals. One of his favorite days of the year was Gymanfa Ganu Sunday when he could sit with other tenors and sing praises in four-part harmony.

When Dave started farming, they used horses. And even when they purchased machinery, it was used and needed a lot of mechanical attention to keep it going. As with all farmers, his pace was slower in the winter, but during planting and harvest, they worked long hard hours, often with their wives delivering meals to the fields. He was proud of his crops and would walk the fields feeling the dirt and examining the wheat or beans or corn to see how the crop was developing. Dave was meticulous about how he did things. When he was planting, he wanted the rows to be straight. He felt strongly there was a right way to do things - a right way to prepare the farm equipment, a right time when you should plant. And you never left any machinery outside. He wanted every piece equipment to be covered. He kept calendars almost like diaries so when Terry and his family took over the farm, they had calendars that went back years with every detail of the weather and what was happening on the farm. He served York Township as a Trustee and spent many hours mowing roads and running the snow plow.

Funeral services will be at Salem Presbyterian Church of Venedocia at 11:00 am on Tuesday April 6th, 2021. Visitation will be prior to the funeral from 9:00 am until the time of services. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Salem Presbyterian Church. Honorary pallbearers will be Don and Jeff Owens, Steve Bollenbacher, Matt, Adam, and Seth Owens, David Mathews, Travis Lamb, and Mike Slattery.

While family and friends are invited to attend David's services, we continue to be cautious and concerned for our most vulnerable friends and loved ones. We request attendees respect the well-being of the family and friends. Attendees are required to observe social distancing, refrain from close physical contact, and wear facial coverings.

To share in David's online memorial, please visit www.alspachgearhart.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Alspach-Gearhart Funeral Home & Crematory, 722 S Washington Street, Van Wert, OH 45891.