I have never had the pleasure of meeting Owen. Seeing all the posts here, he sure was well liked by many. My condolences go out to all his family and friends.
Paula and myself were under the weather for the last few days so we didn't make the wake but we will be sending a mass card to Mary this week. There will be a special mass at our church dedicated to the memory of this generous,kind and decent man. Since the waiting list for masses is long the mass in Owens memory will be at Mary Mother of God R.C. Church on Tuesday August 12th, 2012 at 7 PM. Figured that this is a fitting tribute to a wonderful man and great friend to so many.
As for Owens hat, that type of cap was in fact worn by welders. It had a shorter visor than an engineers hat so it could be easily worn under a welding helmet. It was common seeing these hats worn in factories 80 years ago by machinists, mechanics and steamfitters. In this hobby this was a one of a kind hat worn by a one of a kind man.
If I may relay a story; at York, someone would always bump into me from behind, suddenly and I would wonder what the heck. When I turned around it was always Owen with a warm smile and an even larger handshake saying hello in his own unique way. I thank that good Lord for having known Owen. It's just so sad that he left us so early.
As for Owens hat, that type of cap was in fact worn by welders. It had a shorter visor than an engineers hat so it could be easily worn under a welding helmet. It was common seeing these hats worn in factories 80 years ago by machinists, mechanics and steamfitters. In this hobby this was a one of a kind hat worn by a one of a kind man.
If I may relay a story; at York, someone would always bump into me from behind, suddenly and I would wonder what the heck. When I turned around it was always Owen with a warm smile and an even larger handshake saying hello in his own unique way. I thank that good Lord for having known Owen. It's just so sad that he left us so early.
Rather then attend Owen's wake on Thursday evening, I went at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon and signed the guest book. When my wife and I arrived at the Ridgedale Presbyterian church in West Orange before 10 a.m. Saturday morning for the funeral service, I noticed that the list of people's names in the guest book nearly doubled after my signing in at the funeral home in Livingston.
Several dozen cars in the parking lot of the church were escorted by the West Orange police for the funeral procession from the church service to the Gate of Heaven cemetery in East Hanover around 11 a.m. Saturday while they were holding a moment of silence at the Allentown Train show in memory of Owen.
www.njhirailers.com
Several dozen cars in the parking lot of the church were escorted by the West Orange police for the funeral procession from the church service to the Gate of Heaven cemetery in East Hanover around 11 a.m. Saturday while they were holding a moment of silence at the Allentown Train show in memory of Owen.
www.njhirailers.com
quote:We should all wear suspenders to the HiRailers in January to remember him.
Great idea Dotty. Suspenders it is!
Wow, just saw this. A great loss to his family and friends foremost and a lost to all of us who enjoyed reading his posts on this forum.
I received a number of contributions in this morning's mail for Owen's designated cause--The West Orange First Aid Squad--and will continue gathering them through Friday of this week, after which I will forward them to the Squad, along with a letter citing his many contributions here and to the hobby, and naming each of the individuals who have contributed (myself included).
I will also post a list of the contributors here.
Thanks to all who have chosen to honor Owen in this manner. I'm sure he would be very grateful to be remembered in this meaningful way.
I will also post a list of the contributors here.
Thanks to all who have chosen to honor Owen in this manner. I'm sure he would be very grateful to be remembered in this meaningful way.
WOW,
I never had the pleasure to contact him, but with share some email.
I great person he always was in front.
My condolence to his family and friends.
godspeed Owen.
Andre.
I never had the pleasure to contact him, but with share some email.
I great person he always was in front.
My condolence to his family and friends.
godspeed Owen.
Andre.
quote: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.... Frown
Why not make an exception and put his posts for those of us who did not know him in one spot, to last longer than the six months, with others adding, so we can get the flavor of his thinking. Mark
Good suggestion Mark. I will look into doing just that.
Jim Barrett
Jim Barrett
I have received some very nice contributions for the First Aid Squad from a number of our forum members. I plan to mail the checks to the Squad on Wednesday of next week (Nov. 23) because I assume all who wished to contribute in that way have already sent their checks. I will post the full list of names here so all will know that their contributions were received and passed along.
I am so sorry to hear this news. God Bless him...
My daughter just got around to downloading pictures from the new Iphone to shutterfly last night. These are from the TCA banquet I was reviewing this morning.
Rest In Peace Owen
rat
Rest In Peace Owen
rat
I never met Owen, but always enjoyed his contributions to the Forum.
Owen, rest in peace.
Mike
Owen, rest in peace.
Mike
I am so sorry to hear this tragic news. I had the privilege of meeting Owen when I was a member of the NJ HiRailers. Due to family and other committments I have been off the forum for quite some time. My sincere condolences to his family and his many friends on the forum and in our hobby. I consider myself lucky to have shared some time with him. Rest In Peace....
It is with great shock and sadness that I just learned of Owen's death. I've not been on the Forum for a few weeks and totally missed this incredibly tragic news. Using the search function I have so far been unable to learn the details of an accident that apparently took his life. I would appreciate an email to help me learn more.
Even though we lived far apart and only met a few times each year, Owen was a dear friend, someone I always looked forward to seeing at the York meet and related events. He was pillar of the hobby in a very special way. Owen represented the often overlooked but inestimably important social comradeship factor that makes this wonderful pastime so special and compelling. Owen knew all of us and all of us knew him. He was gregarious, enthusiastic, optimistic, and fun loving....an irrepressible extrovert. He was someone who never forgot a friend, and a dedicated aficionado of the hobby! Owen loved toy trains with a passion that infected everyone he met.
I simply can't believe he's gone. I remember first meeting Owen and Mary in person on the OGR bus tour from York to the Weaver factory several years ago as if it were just yesterday. Owen already knew me from my posts on the Forum, and with that first handshake, we were instant pals. What a tragic loss for Mary and his family. I hope it will be some comfort to them in their grief to know that for those of us fortunate enough to have known him, Owen will always be deeply missed. Everytime I visit York in the future, I will still see him with his distinctive 19th Century-style train crew hat and his huge smile cruising up and down the aisles in the Orange Hall, shaking hands and exchanging words with everyone he meets.
Words seem so inadequate at a time like this. I will miss him profoundly.
DeeplySaddenedBear
Even though we lived far apart and only met a few times each year, Owen was a dear friend, someone I always looked forward to seeing at the York meet and related events. He was pillar of the hobby in a very special way. Owen represented the often overlooked but inestimably important social comradeship factor that makes this wonderful pastime so special and compelling. Owen knew all of us and all of us knew him. He was gregarious, enthusiastic, optimistic, and fun loving....an irrepressible extrovert. He was someone who never forgot a friend, and a dedicated aficionado of the hobby! Owen loved toy trains with a passion that infected everyone he met.
I simply can't believe he's gone. I remember first meeting Owen and Mary in person on the OGR bus tour from York to the Weaver factory several years ago as if it were just yesterday. Owen already knew me from my posts on the Forum, and with that first handshake, we were instant pals. What a tragic loss for Mary and his family. I hope it will be some comfort to them in their grief to know that for those of us fortunate enough to have known him, Owen will always be deeply missed. Everytime I visit York in the future, I will still see him with his distinctive 19th Century-style train crew hat and his huge smile cruising up and down the aisles in the Orange Hall, shaking hands and exchanging words with everyone he meets.
Words seem so inadequate at a time like this. I will miss him profoundly.
DeeplySaddenedBear
Bear,
He was cleaning up some trees in his backyard that had been damaged during a Halloween winter storm. One fell and it pinned him between it and a stump. They were able to get him out and lifeflighted him to a hospital, but he passed away the next day
He was cleaning up some trees in his backyard that had been damaged during a Halloween winter storm. One fell and it pinned him between it and a stump. They were able to get him out and lifeflighted him to a hospital, but he passed away the next day
Bear:
Most of the relevant details are included in links provided on the 3rd page of this thread--one is a news report and the other is an obituary.
Proceeds of a fundraising effort on behalf of the West Orange First Aid Squad and conducted in accordance with Owen's wishes, were sent to the squad earlier this week (see featured post at top of the 3-rail home page). Those still wishing to can certainly still contribute on their own. The address is in the obit and in the featured post.
Most of the relevant details are included in links provided on the 3rd page of this thread--one is a news report and the other is an obituary.
Proceeds of a fundraising effort on behalf of the West Orange First Aid Squad and conducted in accordance with Owen's wishes, were sent to the squad earlier this week (see featured post at top of the 3-rail home page). Those still wishing to can certainly still contribute on their own. The address is in the obit and in the featured post.
Chris and Allan,
Thanks for the information. I've now had the time to read all the posts on this incredible thread, mostly through my tears. I am profoundly saddened and thoughts of Owen and Mary have filled my consciousness all morning since I belatedly learned of his tragic passing. I still can't believe it. Unfortunately, life is frustratingly not fair, I think we all recognize that. Nonetheless, this news is particularly bitter for me. Owen was such a great guy, as so many here have said in every possible way that is possible to express it. His untimely death leaves a vast void for all of us. I hope his memory will make us all closer as we rededicate ourselves to the vast enjoyment of the hobby that Owen demonstrated so consistently for us.
I fully support the suggestions of Owen's many train buddies and fellow Forumites to produce a limited addition release of an Ameritown building dedicated to the memory of this very special person. Such a structure will hold a very prominent place on my to-be-built dream layout.
StillStunnedBear
Thanks for the information. I've now had the time to read all the posts on this incredible thread, mostly through my tears. I am profoundly saddened and thoughts of Owen and Mary have filled my consciousness all morning since I belatedly learned of his tragic passing. I still can't believe it. Unfortunately, life is frustratingly not fair, I think we all recognize that. Nonetheless, this news is particularly bitter for me. Owen was such a great guy, as so many here have said in every possible way that is possible to express it. His untimely death leaves a vast void for all of us. I hope his memory will make us all closer as we rededicate ourselves to the vast enjoyment of the hobby that Owen demonstrated so consistently for us.
I fully support the suggestions of Owen's many train buddies and fellow Forumites to produce a limited addition release of an Ameritown building dedicated to the memory of this very special person. Such a structure will hold a very prominent place on my to-be-built dream layout.
StillStunnedBear
quote:I fully support the suggestions of Owen's many train buddies and fellow Forumites to produce a limited addition release of an Ameritown building dedicated to the memory of this very special person.
That is, I believe, already in the works.
quote:Originally posted by Bearlead:
Chris and Allan,
Thanks for the information. I've now had the time to read all the posts on this incredible thread, mostly through my tears. I am profoundly saddened and thoughts of Owen and Mary have filled my consciousness all morning since I belatedly learned of his tragic passing. I still can't believe it. Unfortunately, life is frustratingly not fair, I think we all recognize that. Nonetheless, this news is particularly bitter for me. Owen was such a great guy, as so many here have said in every possible way that is possible to express it. His untimely death leaves a vast void for all of us. I hope his memory will make us all closer as we rededicate ourselves to the vast enjoyment of the hobby that Owen demonstrated so consistently for us.
I fully support the suggestions of Owen's many train buddies and fellow Forumites to produce a limited edition release of an Ameritown building dedicated to the memory of this very special person. Such a structure will hold a very prominent place on my to-be-built dream layout.
StillStunnedBear
Like Bear and Pat, I had been off the Forum for awhile and got on to see how Trainstock went.... Read about Owen's tribute - what the heck was that?.... Then found this thread..... way late and always a dollar short, I still had to write and also express my shock and anguish over this loss....
Owen and I had conversed for many years and he invited us to stay at his place on many occassions when we were out there..... Owen attended Bradley University in Peoria, IL and I taught there for a few years - so we always chatted a little about that and exchanged recent pictures of our layouts.....
I will miss Owen so very much.... and with Jim Weaver passing this year - well - we have lost a number of people - I need to respectfully request that the rest of you birds need to take care of yourselves - I don't think I can take another of us crossing over early.......
God bless you, Owen.... I will really miss you.
Steve...........
Owen and I had conversed for many years and he invited us to stay at his place on many occassions when we were out there..... Owen attended Bradley University in Peoria, IL and I taught there for a few years - so we always chatted a little about that and exchanged recent pictures of our layouts.....
I will miss Owen so very much.... and with Jim Weaver passing this year - well - we have lost a number of people - I need to respectfully request that the rest of you birds need to take care of yourselves - I don't think I can take another of us crossing over early.......
God bless you, Owen.... I will really miss you.
Steve...........
Steve
It was a real tragedy. Owen was a super guy. I hope his train to heaven was on time.
It was a real tragedy. Owen was a super guy. I hope his train to heaven was on time.
As a side note last week I received a Thank You note from Owen's family for the donation made in his name to the fire department. Very nice and unexpected
I, too, received a Thank You note, as did others in the office who contributed. Very nice of them to take the time to send an acknowledgement to each of the many contributors. Owen will be long remembered, and fondly!
quote:I, too, received a Thank You note
As I'm sure we all have who made a contribution. I, for one, will order that memorial building when it comes out, whether I have a place for it or not.
I also received a thankyou note..Too bad he went away from us. he was a good person.
I received a thank you note as well. I would also be very interested in the building when it comes out. I will make room for it on my layout even if something else has to come off.
quote:Originally posted by bluelinec4:
Steve
It was a real tragedy. Owen was a super guy. I hope his train to heaven was on time.
Thanks Ben - I am sure it was on time... for sure...
quote:Originally posted by MrMuffin'sTrains:quote:Originally posted by bluelinec4:
Steve
It was a real tragedy. Owen was a super guy. I hope his train to heaven was on time.
Thanks Ben - I am sure it was on time... for sure...
I wouldn't be surprised if they used a special express train for Owen.
