WORKING MOTHER LIVED LIFE TO FULLEST MARIANNA OWEN LOVED YACHT.Byline: Holly J. Andres Staff Writer Marianna Owen will be remembered as a woman who lived life to the fullest as a working mother of five who enjoyed a passion for travel. Owen, who'd lived in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , died Monday from the effects of lupus lupus (l  `pəs), noninfectious chronic disease in which antibodies in an individual's immune system attack the body's own substances. . She was 80. ``She was the greatest. She was fun to be with,'' said longtime companion Ken Taylor. ``She liked to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. . She liked her independence. She was a marvelous, strong person.'' Owen, who had a 47-foot sailboat named ``Marianna,'' met Taylor through the Cabrillo Yacht Club. She'd traveled to Taiwan to ensure the ketch was built to her specifications, including an ``M'' carved on the door between the main salon and the captain's cabin and also placed on the sails. ``That was her baby,'' said daughter Judy Sellers. ``She bought it after my dad and she divorced and she sold the house. It was docked in Long Beach near the Queen Mary Queen Mary, Queen Marie, or Queen Maria may refer to: Queens Britain England
``She loved working on the boat, polishing the deck and cleaning the sails.'' Despite owning a yacht, Owen was afraid of water, having nearly drowned as a youngster on her parent's farm in Kansas. Owen first joined the yacht club, then bought her yacht and then finally learned to swim at a YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. . ``She had the responsibility of children and work at a young age,'' Sellers said. ``Having the boat and the ability to take it out and go anywhere, anytime she wanted and not be tied down was probably the main attraction.'' Owen eventually sold the ketch, then bought a powerboat named ``Marianna II.'' She later sold that and bought a motor home - she called it a ``land yacht'' - traveling with Taylor throughout the Western U.S. and Canada. ``She was always ready to go at the drop of a hat. She especially liked Mammoth Lakes and a place we stayed near Solvang,'' Taylor said. ``She enjoyed the beauty of our country.'' Sellers said she will remember her mother's compassion, listening to Broadway musicals, her gorgeous handwriting and her love for roses. Marianna Brown was born on June 15, 1924, in Bennington, Kan. After high school, she went to stenography stenography: see shorthand. school, then moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a secretary for the FBI. She moved to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in 1944, and worked as a secretary at North American Aviation North American Aviation was a major US aircraft manufacturer. The company was responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, and the X-15 rocket plane, as well as Apollo in El Segundo El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and . She married Hoyt Owen in 1946. They divorced in 1972. Owen is survived by daughters Mona Lawrence, Helen Bilizikian, Judith Sharp Sellers and Avice Griffin; 14 grandchildren; and numerous great- grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Joel Owen, and grandson, Nathaniel Sharp. A memorial service was held Saturday at McCormick and Son Mortuary in Laguna Hills. Her ashes will be buried in San Pedro. Donations in her memory may be made to the Lupus Foundation. Holly Andres, (818) 713-3708 holly.andres(at)dailynews.com |
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