Eleanor Owen

Eleanor H. W. Owen SMITHFIELD - Eleanor Hyden Whitley Owen, 94, passed to be with her Creator Oct. 29, 2008, after a brief illness. Eleanor was born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Nov. 3, 1913. She was the daughter of the late Stephen Armistead and Elizabeth Bain Whitley. Eleanor attended Longwood College. After coming back to Smithfield, she worked with her father as a secretary in the family oil business. She was a member of the Smithfield Women's Club and volunteered for many years at Riverside Convalescent Center. Eleanor was a dedicated member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church and its United Methodist Women. She will be remembered as a loving and devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt and friend. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Gloria Hyden Owen; a grandson, Gregory Reneé Eley; and a sister, Janice Whitley Worthington. Eleanor is survived by her granddaughter, Angelia Eley Douglas; two great-granddaughters, Christina Renee Douglas and Gloria Whitley Eley Laliberté; her sister, Violet Whitley Knick; her first cousin, Dr. Oscar W. Ward Jr.; and a host of nieces and nephews and extended family, including her longtime friend and caregiver, Mary Diggs. A graveside funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday in Ivy Hill Cemetery with the Rev. Leon Basham officiating. Family and friends will gather from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today in Colonial Funeral Home, Smithfield. The family suggests memorial contributions to the American Heart Association, IOW Chapter, 4217 Park Place Court, Glen Allen, VA 23060 or Susan G. Komen for the Cure, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309.