Wilma Grace (Ward) Owen 1925-2020
Wilma Grace Ward was born December 12, 1925 at the farm home of John Anderson and Laura Bell (Downs) Ward in northeast DeKalb County, near Pattonsburg, Missouri. When she was three years old, the family moved to Campbell County, near Gillette Wyoming, where they lived nearly twelve years.
To give perspective, in 1925 the first presidential inaugural was broadcast on the newly invented radio. Henry Ford built the first Model T pickup, and flashbulbs for photography were new. Wilma rode most any horse and always carried her self-made stick and chain to kill rattlesnakes. The rattlers were worth a penny at the local tourist stop.
Wilma had one brother, John Kenneth, who was born in Wyoming. He died in Denver, Colorado in 1964.
In May of 1940 Wilma’s mother died in Wyoming. The family moved to Missouri to live on the farm of John’s father, who had died in April of 1940. During her adolescent years, Wilma road her horse about three miles south to Santa Rosa to catch the school bus. In town she simply dismounted and the horse faithfully returned home on its own. One time it was too muddy for Merlin to drive her home so he walked her home. She saddled up the horse for Merlin to ride back to Santa Rosa. The next morning her dad wanted to know why there was a saddled horse standing in the front yard in the rain.
Wilma graduated from Maysville High School in 1943 as an honor student. There she met her husband-to-be, Merlin Owen. They were married in California in December 1944. It was during World War II and all the eligible young men were in the military service. Merlin was in the Navy.
She worked in Maysville following graduation for Edna Pollard who was a newspaper publisher. A year later, she went to Kansas City and worked in the Pratt-Whitney Aircraft Plant until December 1944 when she traveled to California to be married. While in California, she worked at the Consolidated Aircraft Plant until Merlin was shipped to the South pacific in May of 1945. She then returned to Missouri and worked in the Kansas City office of the Wonder Bread Bakery until returning to Maysville to await the birth of their first child in January 1946, and Merlin’s return and discharge from the US Navy.
They lived on a farm southeast of Maysville one year before they bought their family farm home north of Cameron in late 1946. She was a Federal Census Taker in 1950 and later worked for the Missouri Division of Health in the Cameron office.
Wilma and Merlin were the parents of four children. Philip Lee married Darlene Burns of St. Ann Missouri and now live in Littleton, Colorado. They have two children, Wade Clinton of Highlands Ranch, Colorado and Melissa Lea of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Ward Irving (d. 2013) married Terri Romaine in California and lived in Modesto, California. Their children, Christopher, married Victoria Eskandani, have three children, Zoey, Parker and Thatcher, and live in Wilsonville, Oregon. Julie lives in Modesto, California.
Vivian (d.2009) went to California to work and married Rhea Posedel. Their daughter Natalie married Richard Whipple II and has one son, Rickie III.
Robert Merlin married Kathy Graeff of Osborn, Missouri. Their daughter Laura LeeAnn, married Time Daniel and they live in Circleville Ohio. Joshua Robert married Erin Reber. They live near Clever, Missouri and have two sons: Jackson and Liam.
Wilma’s niece, Vivian Ward Dietz is very important to her. Vivian lives with her husband Mark in Hays, Kansas. They are blessed with three grown children: Heather (husband Tyler), Garrett (wife Megan and son Barron John) and Gretchen with Fiancé Jake Scebold.
At age 78 and recently having become a widow, Wilma designed a new house and oversaw its construction on her favorite spot. She didn’t really want to be a town girl; she wanted to live out her days looking across the pond at green pastures, trees, blue skies, white clouds, black cows and anything else that happened to meander across her farm.
Of course, her most delight was when the kids came home. She loved to see us enjoy the farm. Most visits included fresh fish from the ponds. The spacious garage is perfect for extracting honey and dressing out deer. The “22” is always loaded for the muskrats that make holes around the pond. She only meant to make the skunk go away, not crawl under the porch to die.
But mom didn’t just wait at home for us. She was always ready to do! She made many trips to California and was quite happy to be babysitter in Hawaii. Mom visited Phil and family in Saint Louis and later in Colorado. She even made four trips to Honduras. In her 80s she jumped at the chance to visit Alaska.
Wilma lived a full life and not just because she lived 94 years. She filled her life with many good things and filled the lives of everyone she met.
When a child, Wilma accepted Jesus Crist as her Savior at the Mountain View Assembly of God, near Gillette, Wyoming. She later moved her membership to the Mabel Methodist Church, now Mabel Worship Center, near her home. She attends regularly.
She dearly loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren!
A memorial service will be held Saturday Aug. 29,2020 at 10 a.m. at the Owen family farm 6500 SE Grindstone Rd, Cameron, MO 64429. It will be outdoors so lawn chairs and sun protection may be necessary. A light lunch will follow the memorial service.
