Wilma Jean Owen

Wilma Jean Owen (Duke) was born Jan. 29, 1934 in Fouke, Ark. to Sherman Arthur Duke and Kathryn Miller (Duke). Her family moved to Kilgore when she was a very young girl when her father went to work for Shell Oil Co. She graduated from Kilgore High School and attended Baylor University. There she met her future husband, Bill Owen, whom she married in 1955. They moved around several times as Bill's work as a geologist required. They lived in Kennedy, Texas, Grand Junction, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Amarillo, Texas and Longview, Texas before moving to Tyler in 1974. She had been a member of First Baptist Church, Tyler, since 1974.
Jean passed away April 4th 2025 in Tyler. She was preceded in death by her (husband, Bill), parents, a daughter, Cathy Lea Owen, and her eldest son Burl Duke Owen. She is survived by her son William Alvin Owen, four grandchildren, Benjamin Owen, Natalie Owen, Megan Owen and Seth Owen, and two great grand-babies. She also is survived by her two sisters, Margaret Cotten and Ruth Smith, both of Tyler, as well as three nieces and four nephews.
Jean loved life and enjoyed her family very much. She was always ready to volunteer to help others. When her boys were young she always volunteered as a Home Room Mother for them. After the boys grew up she enjoyed working at sales jobs because she liked dealing with people. At various times she worked for the J.M. Dyer Co., Courtesy Pontiac, Jim Walter Homes and the Potpourri House. In her later years she enjoyed volunteer work at Mother Frances Hospital, PATH and the Family Assistance Center at First Baptist Church. She never let any of these jobs interfere with her job as a homemaker; that was her favorite job, and she was very good at it! Jean Owen never met a stranger. No matter the weather or time of day, she always had a smile for anyone she encountered. When she wasn't working in the yard keeping things beautiful, she was making and taking food and baked goods to anyone in need of comfort or company. Her biggest joy was entertaining family and friends in her home around the holidays. We can rest assured that she is now busy at work helping the other angels wherever she is needed.