Alice London Owen

Click Here to view Memorial Video Alice Joan London Owen passed away peacefully at her home on January 20, 2014. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 25, 2014, at Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Lisa Wishon officiating. Interment will follow in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends on Friday evening from 6-8 PM at the funeral home and other times at the home. Born on February 3, 1922, the twelfth of thirteen children of John William and Mary Ida French London, Alice Joan London grew up in the Oregon Hill community of Rockingham County. Growing up on the family farm during the Depression, she understood the value of hard work and determination and the joys of a close-knit community. She graduated from Ruffin High School with the Class of 1939, and for many years attended reunions of “the 39-ers” where shared stories and shared history became sweeter with passing years. Alice married William Lacey Owen in December 1940 and they spent the next 53 years raising a family and building a life together. They lived in Leaksville, NC during their early years, later moving to the Harrison Crossroad community where they both touched the lives of many with humor, friendship and love. Alice had two daughters, Coretta and Meryl, and a son, James (Jim). She joked that she raised three families because of the years between each child. She loved her family, welcoming each new addition with joy as the family grew. She often said her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her real treasures. Family get-togethers were wonderful occasions that centered around feasts of delicious food prepared by her hands. She loved all children and was a natural teacher. Generations, who knew her simply as Miss Alice, learned their first Bible stories and songs from her. For many years, she was a Sunday School teacher and mentor at Leaksville Christian Church in Eden. Later she attended Holly Hills Christian Church where she had many friends. She cherished her many friends, whether lifelong friends from her childhood or friendships made throughout her life. Alice thrived on learning new things and having new adventures. In 1983, in her sixties, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by completing the nursing assistant program at RCC. She worked at Annie Penn Hospital and later with private families. In both settings, she took pride in doing her best. She left this work to care for her husband and sisters when their health declined. In her seventies, Alice overcame a lifelong apprehension of water by learning to swim. She was enthusiastic about her new hobby and adored new friends she made in the process. She traveled to Europe three times in her seventies exploring various countries while visiting her son who was stationed in Germany. She realized another lifelong wish when she went to Paris and later said French men were “big flirts”. She enjoyed sharing stories of her travels. Alice created many beautiful items, both simple and elaborate, by crocheting and knitting. It delighted her to give these gifts to others. In her later years, she began to need some assistance herself. Sherry and Debbie entered her life and her heart and she loved both of them. Alice was a woman of strong faith. She believed firmly in God’s grace and love. Through her own life, she showed great love and forgiveness to others, and found joy in simple things in life. To her family and to everyone who knew her, she tried to teach the importance of loving each other. Alice was preceded in death by her husband Lacey Owen; daughter, Coretta Owen Carter Ball; grandson George C. Carter, Jr. “Tuffy”; eleven of her sisters and brothers; and many dear friends. She is survived by her children and their spouses: daughter Meryl Owen Murphy (Tommy); son James Lacey Owen (Chong Ae); grandchildren Scott Carter, Steven Carter, Michelle Carter Jackson, Ben Murphy, Ryan Murphy, James Owen, Victoria Owen; 5 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchild; and one sister, Ruby Poteat. The family asks that any donations on their mother’s behalf be made to Hospice of Rockingham County, P.O. Box 281, Wentworth, NC, 27375.