Paulinskill/Owen Sturm has passed away UPDATE 11-10-2011 4PM

I am shocked to say the very least. Owen was one of the best. Always had a smile on his face and always a gentlemen. He will be missed at York and all our future train events. My condolences to his family.

Shocked.... very sad, I find it hard to write. I just sat to look at todays threads and can't believe what I'm reading. Owen was the topic of conversation recently with Kathy and I. Our son has been looking at a home in Long Valley. I said "well, ... we'll see him at First Frost" ...

He always went out of his way to say hello to Kathy, she was heart broken when I just told her. "Not my friend Owen.." she said he just gave her a kiss at York.

Like everyone else, to me, Owen was a friend over the years, we shared roots in Orange, N.J., mutual friends and train hobby interests.

Like many of you, I will miss seeing that familiar face, smiling and greeting me in those crowded rooms we all love to gather in, truly one of the nicer people I've ever met.

Rest in peace Owen

SAM

can't believe what im reading this so not good.
Owen was the very first forum member i met a few years back at the first frost breakfast just came right up and introduced himself to me! we talked every meet and he gave me great advice on repair and many other issues.
God speed Owen.
Dave

Owen was one of the first to help me when I entered O scale, told me what I would need to get things up and running and was always willing to give good advice.

My prayers go out to him and his family.

David

That is a shock. I have only met a few forum members face to face, but having been on this list for so long and passing E-mails/thread posts back and forth, the loss of a forum member still really hits home. I never met Owen personally, but will still miss him.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

It is sad.. I just learned about it on the forum. I spoke to him on Halloween about the freakish snow storm and all he had work to do cleaning up the yard. Geese! I was teasing him about letting me help him work on the layout for another train night with the guys.. I will truly miss him. He was a great, kind,loving person!

I am absolutely devastated as we all are. Owen was one of the kindest human beings I ever had the good fortune to meet. Not only did we have a love of real life railroading as well as O Gauge but we also appreciated in no small way the PRR. Above all else, we had our love of suspenders in common.

He was a real mensch, a true gentlemen and one I considered an honor to break bread with. His family & loved ones have my deepest condolences.

Bill

Good grief. I just had a conversation with him while checking out the S gauge exhibit at Y10/11. He was quite optimistic about the upcoming holiday season. Condolences to his family & R.I.P.

Very sad news indeed. Owen was a great guy.

Very sad news. I never met Owen but remember see him at NJHR and York. He will be missed.

"Oh, no! Not Owen!" was my stunned reaction to this news. I'm very saddened and shocked to read of his passing.I got to know him through Mike Galley (Galleyproof), and found him to be a truely nice, friendly, likable guy. I always enjoyed talking to him at Allentown, York, and Patterson.He will be sincerely missed by all who knew him.My condolences to his wife and many friends. Rest In Peace, Owen.

Here are a couple of shots with him from the Spring Thaw breakfast and our 11AM photo shoot. He has on a dark blue shirt and trademark suspenders.

Chris
LVHR

Here is the latest. Just in from the news reports.
We had a major ice storm last week that left many branches down and many trees damaged. Apparently Owen was cutting down a tree with a chain saw and it unexpectedly fell the wrong way over upon him and it killed Owen. I was cutting trees for hours here in NJ. last week as well, and it could have happened to me. It is a dangerous chore and the risks are there.
I will contact the family this week to express our heartfelt condolences. Losing Owen was like losing a family member- a really good model railroader and a wonderful friend. Our prayers will be with the Sturm family through this difficult time.

Owen be friended myself and my wife Louanna in April, 2007 outside of the TGI Fridays at YORK. She was in a wheelchair and Owen and Mary introduced themselves to us outside of the restaurant. We are from Missouri and this was our first time to Fridays on Thursday. He took us around and we met everyone there and that was the day that this forum grew faces and characters for us.
When he and Mary came to Branson, he called and came by to look at our layout with Mary and we had a grand time while they were here.
We were planning on meeting up with them again in April at YORK. Please give all of your loved ones a special hug tonight....you never know when it might be the last.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. Please let us know more info when you can. This was a friend that lived over 1,000 miles away, but thanks to this forum and you all we kept in touch.
I am rambling...may God be with you all and your families.

I am stunned and absolutely speechless.
My most sincere condolences to his wife and family.

I am very sorry to hear this.
I met Owen at a show last year and
after a few minutes it seemed like
I knew him for quite a while.
My condolences to his family.
Bill

I'm shocked too. He will be missed this Sat at breakfast.
R.I.P. Owen

When I saw the post about Owen my I was shocked, he just posted on the forum yesterday and now he's gone. I didn't know him but it seemed like he was always here with something to talk about or a to kibitz about someones layout or their latest project. He's going to be missed by all of us. He was one of the good ones, my condolences to his family and friends.

Jerry

quote:

A very humble suggestion:

Perhaps when the time is right someone here who lives near by or is close to the family, can print out this thread so the family can see just what kind of impact Owen had, and the legacy he leaves all of us who had the good fortune to be touched by his life.


David

Consider it done.

I am stunned! Owen was one of the first Forum members I met at my first York many years ago. Always made a point to greet me. Very sad to hear we have lost him.
.....
Dennis

A sad passing, Owen will be missed.

I was talking to Owen on Sat. night at the METCA Party. It was always a pleasure to talk with him. He will be missed. Rest in Peace.
Jim D

This is such a terrible shock. I did not know Owen that well, but he was one of the few forum members that I readily recongnized while navigating the crowds at Allentown and York. Similar to what spiff mentioned about ten posts above, I believe Owen was the first to greet met at the first Allentown breakfast I attended. My wife and I would have brief chats with him when our paths crossed at the shows, most recently just a few weeks ago at York. I regret not getting to know him better.

My wife and I won't be able to attend First Frost this weekend, but hope there will be a moment of silence in Owen's memory.

-Aric

Judy and I were very stunned to read this. Owen and I traveled together a few times between Lancaster and York for OGR tours. Our condolences to his family.

Dang! The Hobby looses another good guy....
I met Owen at the OGR Thursdays at Fridays GTG a couple of years ago. Since then he made it a point to stop by my table in the Silver Hall and say,"Hi" every York since, and offer a great, strong handshake!
Godspeed, my friend! We'll meet up soon...

Very sorry to hear this news. Never had a chance to talk with Owen but certainly did recognize him at many Yorks over the years. I believe we even shared an seat armrest during the Grandstand Meeting one year...

Ya know, one small, sad part about Owen's passing is that all he contributed to this Forum will be gone in 6 months or so when his threads run out. Doesn't seem right....

I considered just posting ditto marks in this space. What more could be added that hasn’t been said so eloquently about our friend Owen. MaryAnn and I are deeply saddened by this news. There are few among us who are as welcoming as Owen was. He seemed to have the knack to identify a first-time poster and always offered his personal welcome and good wishes, all while extolling the benefits and fun on the OGR Forum. I hope Mary takes comfort in knowing how much Owen was loved by those of us who knew him through this hobby.

I was saddened to hear of Owen's death. I recall one of the first time's I met Owen at York he had a question a few days later and we set up a time to talk. He apologized when he was late to call as he said he was taking a few pictures of some deer in his yard. Later that morning he e-mailed them to me. He seemed to take time to enjoy life. I always looked forward to saying "hello" at York. He was a genuinely nice person.

I to am deeply saddened by Owen's death. As many others have said Owen was the first person to welcome me to the hobby a few years ago. His smile was always infectious. He was the ultiumate ambassador for our O gauge hobby.

I found these pictures on Owen at the Legacy Users Group meeting in 2009


legacy-20081017-4554 by BojPhoto, on Flickr


legacy-20081017-4534 by BojPhoto, on Flickr


legacy-20081017-4535 by BojPhoto, on Flickr

My most sincere condolences to Owen's family and friends.

Here are all of Owen's that are still on the forum.

Owen Sturm

His Profile also says alot about him

Profile

What makes Owen's loss even worse was being killed by a tree cutting accident, what a terrible tragedy. I'm just so sad about this. I feel for his family.

An early news report of the accident that took Owen's life:

http://www.courierpostonline.c...newswell|text|News|s

A tragedy for all who ever had the good fortune to meet or know him.

Link to the on-line Obituary:
http://obits.nj.com/obituaries...154537822&fhid=11423


Scott Smith

this is just sad to read, I walked around the allentown meet with owen for the last few years. I always told him he needed some more lackawanna on his layout, he just looked at me and would laugh. I will miss seeing him this weekend at allentown.

R.I.P. Owen

The first time I met Owen, he came down on his motorcycle and we chatted about trains, his career as an auto worker and the layout we wanted to build. He would always chide me about the fact I needed more 'space' for my layout. One time we ran into each other at the Chester diner and as we talked, our wives sat there an rolled their eyes as we talked about trains and our layout progress.

It was truly honor to know the man.

This is really tragic news to read. Owen was a wonderful guy to know even if it was only on these pages.
Owen will be sorely missed and my prayers go out for him and his family.

I feel so bad about this, bad for Owen, bad for his family and close friends and bad for us because he has become such a wonderful part of our experience on this forum.

God bless Owen, if there are toy trains in heaven I know there will be some great Westren Pacific trains coming down the track.

Wow...I too am shocked and very saddened to read the news. When I first started attending events like York and Allentown's First Frost/Spring Thaw meets, Owen was one of the first Forumites I met. And true to form, it was he who came up and introduced himself to me. His whole attitude and cheerinss and friendly open manner was about the best possible way someone could say "Welcome to the Club...or Nuthouse!"

Though I didn't get to know you as well as I would've liked, Owen, thank you for your kindness. Hope you're running the layout of your dreams somewhere tonight.

- Mike

I saw Owen at York and at every Allentown train show I attended in the past 30 years as well as at METCA 50th Anniversary Party in Paterson last Saturday night.

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