Obituary

Rowell, Owen Chester

Owen Chester Rowell, 96, of Hale Center, went to his heavenly home on December 5, 2017. Services will be at 10:00 A.M., Friday, December 8, 2017, at the Church of Christ in Hale Center with Mr. Bill Smith officiating. Interment will follow at Parklawn Memorial Gardens in Plainview under the direction of Ramage Funeral Directors. The family will receive friends at the Family Center at Ramage Funeral Directors in Hale Center from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M., Thursday, December 7, 2017.

Owen was born on March 27, 1921, in Lindsey, Oklahoma to Marion B. and Martha (Reynolds) Rowell. He moved to Hale Center in 1934 from O'Donnell and was a member of the Church of Christ. He married Mary Lockhart on July 7, 1942. She was the love of his life. They were married for 75 years until her death in August of 2016.

Owen enlisted in the United States Army in July of 1942. During service in World War II, he fought in five major battles as a combat infantryman. They were the battles of: Metz, Saar, Roer, Rhineland, and Ruhr. He served in Company I 379th Infantry Regiment 95th Infantry Division. He completed his service as a sergeant (E5). He was awarded the Bronze Star.

An avid fisherman, Owen was a long-time Hale Center resident where he owned Center Welding.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Rowell; brothers, Ulysses, Leslie, Fred, and Richard Rowell and a sister, Viola Gibbs.

He is survived by daughters, Edith and Joe M. Byrd of Plainview, Linda and Bob Miller of Whitewright; sons, Carl and Vicki Rowell of Hale Center, David and Renee Rowell of Hale Center, and Albert and Terry Rowell of Lubbock. He is also survived by sisters Ellen Slayton of Plainview, Leota Magness of Gun Barrell, and Bobby Arnold of Stephenville. He was blessed with 10 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

The family suggest memorials be made to the Church of Christ P.O. Box 397 Hale Center, Texas 79041.