Blanche Elvira Chitwood Owen

Blanche Elvira Chitwood Owen, 87, died on April 20, 2012. A native Atlantan, Mrs. Owen was one of eleven children born to John and Mary Ruth Chitwood. Mrs. Owen worked at the Bell Bomber Plant as a “Rosie the Riveter” during WW II. She married Ernest Owen on December 25, 1944 and raised three children in midtown Atlanta, where she resided for fifty years. She was a member of North Atlanta Baptist Church. She was an active member of the African Violet Club of Atlanta; her champion violets won many blue ribbons and were sold by a number of florists and retail stores. Gardening was one of her joys in life, as were her family, friends, and solving any kind of puzzle. She never complained and endured what life handed her with grace and dignity. She will be greatly missed by the many people who knew and loved her. Mrs. Owen was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 54 years, Ernest Owen. She is survived by her son, Ray Owen and wife, Brenda, of Anderson, SC; her daughter, Jean Ray and husband, Jim, of Canton; and her daughter, Ruth Kerkeslager and husband, Ellwood, of Madison, NJ. She was a loving grandmother to her grandchildren, Todd Owen of McDonough; Jenna Love and husband, Mike, of Kingston; Stephen Owen and wife, Linda, of Dublin, CA; and Laura Webb and husband, Zack, of Canton. She took great delight in her great-grandchildren, Jonah, Morgan and Madeline Love; Grace Webb; and Mia Owen. Mrs. Owen is survived by her brothers, David Chitwood and wife, Penny, of Stockbridge; Thomas Chitwood and wife, Patricia, of Fayetteville; and sister-in-law, Virginia Chitwood, of Lithia Springs. She was preceded in death by her sister, Frances Penn and her brothers, Embree, Alton, Mark, Willis, Daniel, Rufus, and Andrew Chitwood. Funeral services will be on Tuesday, April 24, at 2:00 pm, in the Chapel of the Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta, GA. The family will receive friends from 5 pm until 7 pm at the funeral home on Monday, April 23. Burial will be at Crestlawn Cemetery, Atlanta. Donations in her memory may be made to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research, New York, NY. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home & Crematory, Marietta. www.mayeswarddobbins.com

Blanche Elvira Chitwood Owen

August 22, 1924 - April 20, 2012