Juanita Owen

Juanita Owen age 90, of Elgin, passed away Thursday, April 6, 2017.

Juanita  was born on May 28, 1926 at her family home outside of Elgin near the Colorado River.  Juanita’s family raised livestock and farmed land near what is now FM 1704 and FM 969. She grew up with her three sisters and one brother.  The family worked hard, and Juanita created many happy memories running and playing with her younger brother and sister and the children from neighboring farms, who she lovingly referred to as “River Rats”.

A great student, Juanita excelled in school and was one of the top graduates in the Elgin High School class of 1943.  Upon graduation Juanita moved to Austin where she attended business school.  Not long after she began her school work, her mother contacted her to say that although Juanita had never applied, she had been offered a job working at Elgin National Bank.  Juanita returned home and began what would become a 45-year career in the Bank.  She worked her way up from bookkeeping to Vice President before her retirement.  A dedicated employee, Juanita never considered changing jobs as she loved the people she worked with and the Bank’s customers.

After retirement, from what later became Elgin Bank of Texas, Juanita began working at Elgin Funeral Home. She helped many families through difficult times.  Her love for people and her desire to serve others made her work at the Funeral Home a major asset to the Elgin Community.

Juanita dedicated her life to her Lord at an early age and spent her entire life worshiping him as an active member of the Church of Christ.  Until her passing, Juanita served as the bookkeeper at Elgin Church of Christ.

But Juanita was not all work all the time.  She had a heart for adventure and learning and seeing new things.  For many years, Juanita enjoyed traveling and seeing as much of the United States as she could possibly see.  A passionate traveler until into her eighties, Juanita has seen all 50 states, many of them more than once.  She also loved Canada where she traveled extensively.  Her favorite trips were to spend time in the mountains of Colorado, and to see the fall foliage of New England.  All Juanita had to hear were the words “bus trip” and her suitcase came out of the closet and her car was headed to the meeting point.

The first day of baseball season was one of Juanita’s favorite days of the year.  She loved watching countless games on television and was a die-hard Longhorn football fan.  It was not unusual for Juanita to switch between channels watching multiple games and sports all at the same time.   Juanita possessed a keen sense of competition and loved playing table games with her friends at the Tuesday Games Group.  She also loved exercising with her friends at Elgin Curves where she has been a member for over 20 years.

Although Juanita never married or had children of her own, her numerous nieces and nephews provided her with great joy.  She dedicated her life to providing for her mother and older sister, Louise.   Her fellow members of the Elgin Church of Christ became family to her.  Juanita will be deeply missed by her adopted family, The Lawrence Matetzschk family and Frank and Judy Campbell.

The community will gather for a visitation at Providence- Jones Family Funeral Home from 6 – 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, and Juanita’s funeral will be held on Sunday, April 9 at 2:00 p.m. also at the Funeral Home.  Memorials in Juanita’s memory may be made to Elgin Church of Christ or to the children’s charity of your choice.