Helen Owen

Waynesville - Helen Bryan Owen, age 89, of 267 Rolling Drive, died on Monday, January 14, 2008 at her residence. Born in Richmond, VA and reared in Wake Forest NC, she was the widow of W. Boyd Owen, M.D., a longtime Haywood County physician. She was the daughter of the late Daniel Bunyan and Affira Griffin Bryan. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, Daniel Bunyan Bryan, Jr. and two sisters, Euphemia Bryan Platte and Elizabeth Bryan Smith, deceased wife of Dr. A. Heyward Smith, Jr. A graduate of Wake Forest High School, she attended Meredith College and graduated in 1938 from Wake Forest College where her father was Dean from 1923 - 1957. She was a member of Haywood County Hospital Auxiliary, Haywood County Medical Society Auxiliary, Mountain View Garden Club, Former Member of Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University and was honored as a Trustee Emeritus. Helen was a member of Waynesville Country Club and taught Bible stories in Haywood County Elementary Schools using flannel boards. She was also a former director of Blue Ridge Savings Bank, a Cub Scout Leader, and a member of DAR and CAR. She was a member of Waynesville First Baptist Church and taught the Young Adult Women's Sunday School Class for over 30 years and was an R.A. Leader. Those left to cherish her memory are two daughters: Elizabeth Owen Taylor and husband, The Honorable Charles H. Taylor, of Brevard; Mary Owen Davis and husband, William H. Davis, III of Naperville, IL; two sons: Dr. William B. Owen, Jr. and wife, Sandra Cooper Owen, of Waynesville; and James Griffin Owen and wife, Rebecca Sease Owen of Matthews, NC; 11 grandchildren: Sarah Rebecca Owen Iseley and husband, LeGrande, of Gibsonville, NC; Jennifer Paige Davis Lockhart and husband, Matthew, of North Charleston, SC; Caroline Griffin Owen Gilmore and husband, Adam, of Asheboro, NC; Erin Elizabeth Owen of Brooklyn, NY; Mary Tyson Davis Bradshaw and husband, Sean, of Aurora, IL; Owen English Taylor and wife, Laura, of Charlotte, NC; Daniel Boyd Owen of Rock Hill, SC; Captain Bryan Tinsley Taylor of Lakewood, CO; Christopher Cooper Owen of Lexington Park, MD; Charles Robert Taylor and wife, Michelle, of Seoul, South Korea; William Edward Owen of Nashville, TN; two great grandchildren: Mary Claire Bradshaw and Wesley Roberts Gilmore; one sister: Mary Bryan "Billie" Holt, of Wilmington, NC; and one sister-in-law, Fannie Owen Ashcraft, of Deland, FL. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at First Baptist Church of Waynesville with Reverend Dr. Robert Prince, Reverend Dr. Jack C. Bishop, and Reverend Dr. Dick Maples officiating. Burial will follow at Bon-A-Venture Cemetery, Old Clyde Road. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Friday evening at Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Waynesville, P.O. Box 690, Waynesville, NC 28786 or to the D.B. Bryan/W. Boyd Owen Memorial Scholarship Fund, Attn: Cameron Meador, Wake Forest University, P.O. Box 7227, Reynolda Station, Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7227.

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