"we send our prayers to Etta's husband and family. She lived an amazing life. May God bless you all. Steve and Rosemary Kellogg, Morning Sun, IA."
In loving memory of
Etta K Owen
March 17, 1922 - April 26, 2019
Etta Kniess Owen, 97 of Mt.Pleasant, IA, passed away peacefully in the afternoon on Friday, April 26, 2019 at Arbor Court in Mt. Pleasant.
Born March 17, 1922,on her familys farm, which was located about six miles north of Danville, IA, Etta was the daughter of Noah and Dorothy (Kniess) Landrum. She attended elementary school at a one-room schoolhouse that was approximately two miles from her home, later attending New London High School where she was a cheerleader and was active in band, playing C Melody saxophone and piano. After graduation, she attended Burlington Junior College for two years.
It was around this time in 1939, that she met her husband of over seventy-six years, Ralph William Billy Owen, at the skating rink in Mount Pleasant, then located in the back of Browns Shoe Fit Company, approximately where the Dairy Queen now stands. They would later be married in Missouri on December 20, 1942. As a result of her relationship with Billy, she began studying the Bible and was later baptized as one of Jehovahs Witnesses, remaining faithful to her death.
After Junior College, Etta began teaching, her first classroom assignment lasting for around eight years, after which she taught for two years in Weaver, north of Burlington, IA. After her marriage, she found a position closer to home, teaching in a one-room schoolhouse located at the corner of 170th and Benton Streets west of Salem, IA, near the Jefferson County line (no longer extant). She would teach there for four years until the school closed.
Around this time she bore her only child, her son, Thomas William Owen. Shortly after his birth, she resumed her studies at Iowa Wesleyan College (now University) in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where she ultimately graduated with a BA in speech and drama. A few years later, she would attend the University of Iowa where she would earn her MA in speech and drama. During and after this time she taught high school in Keosauqua for thirteen years and fourteen years in Burlington, prior to her retirement.
She travelled extensively during the summers, accompanied by her husband and son. By the time old age had hampered her travels, she had visited every state in the lower 48 except Florida, and had travelled extensively throughout Canada as well, visiting all but four provinces there.
Even after retirement she remained active in teaching and drama, acting and directing in local and regional theater productions as well as conducting ESL classes for recent immigrants and refugees. She was invited to join Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional international honor society of key women educators. Her sisters in this organization would remain in constant, caring contact until Ettas passing.
Along with her loving husband, Billy of 76 years, Etta is survived by a son, Tom Owen of Casper, WY; a grandson, Seth Owen; a great-grandson, Jade Beardsley; and a great-great-granddaughter, Isabelle Dominguez all of Iowa City, IA.
Preceding Etta in death were her parents, three sisters and four brothers.
Tributes
"Mrs. Owen was one of the handful of very influential teachers in my life (in Keosauqua). She encouraged me to write and try out for plays. She was also a dear friend of my parents, Art and Mary, directing Art in many community theater productions and working with Mary on publicity. What an amazing and accomplished woman! Condolences to her family. "
"You were always my favorite teacher Mrs. Owen, the best. Thank you for everything. I've never forgotten you & I never will. Peace, Love & Light."
"Godspeed Mrs. Owen. I enjoyed all three semesters of acting I had with you at BHS. Thank you for always pushing me to get and give a little more into every scene."
"I remember her walking the halls of Van Buren High School as I started my freshman year.She was a beautiful lady, always so nice to talk to. Her dedication to teaching was so admired. I at one time wanted to be a teacher, as I admired teacher's like her. I will always remember this lady as she was a mentor and influence on many of us students. To her husband, son and family, thank you for sharing your beautiful lady that made an impact on my life. Thoughts and prayers....Margaret Cloke Nelson, Gardendale, Alabama"
"I have such fond memories of my high school years at Van Buren with "Etta K." She was a brilliant teacher in so many ways and a great mentor to me. She 'saw' me in ways others didn't and encouraged me to really own who I was and what I was capable of doing in the world. It took me awhile but her words are still very present for me. A group of high school friends were together recently and shared fond memories of her as our teacher. I'm so grateful to have had her in my life at such an impressionable age. My condolences to her family. She was a remarkable person."
"I first met Bill and Etta back in the 80s when I worked for whileys construction. We hit it off every sense. They became kind of like grand parents to me. Etta never liked her name miss said. She would always correct you.There wasnt a day that went by that she didnt have an egg on the stove for bill, cooking it in a small cast iron pan. She drove Themselves to Hyvee for lunch a couple times a week. They were pretty cute sitting there eating there Chinese and drinking coffee. She was a sweet lady with a lot of insight. The two would go to the swap meets and talk to people who loved rabbits as much as they did. She will be missed dearly. Terry and Kim Jerrel"
"She was a very sweet lady We had many good talks at her kitchen table while she would cook an egg in a small cast-iron pan for Bill. She would follow Old Bill out to the barn to help him do chores and then take him out to the farm to make sure the cats were all fed in their barn. They were a cute couple sitting out at Hyvee during lunch eating their Chinese food and drinking their coffee. She was a very wise lady and I used to get a kick out of her And Bill yelling at each other because they couldnt hear each other at the table. They were always excited about hearing how the boys did in basketball and baseball. And I enjoyed watching them at the swap meet talking to people about rabbits and chickens. We will miss her. God bless Terry and Kim Jerrel"
"Loved Etta as my high school speech, drama, & English teacher at Van Buren in keosauqua. She never ceased to amaze me!"
"I was a student of Mrs. Owen's and what a HUGE positive impact she made in my young life back then. Her influence and interaction with me during those years at VBHS have always been remembered with the most respected and fondest memories. Thank You Mrs. Owen and my you Rest In Peace now and forever."
"You will always be remembered Mrs. Owen by this former VBHS student ('68-'72)"
"RIP Mrs. Owens."
"Oh yes, I remember Mrs. Owen too. Rest in peace"
"Etta K was one of the most influential teachers I was privileged to have in high school. She was a gifted teacher and an intellectual. The real deal. Wonderful lady with the highest standards, personal, professional and artistic. We were blessed to have her in our presence. We send condolences to her family, her extended family and the community of her former students. She enriched our lives."