Dearly loved matriarch and lifelong Seymour resident, Deloris June Owens, passed away September 16, 2021, in Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, at the age of 83. One of four children, she was born at home in rural Seymour on December 19, 1937, to Otis and Faye Frances (Coots) Helms.
Deloris graduated from Seymour High School in 1955. She wed the love of her life, Melvin Eugene Owens, on May 22, 1959, in Seymour with Reverend Roy Cantrell officiating. Together they shared 62 years of love and devotion, the blessings of four children, and a faith in the Lord that set an example for family. For a short time, before motherhood, she worked as a beauty operator at Seymour Beauty Academy on the town square and Edna Miller’s café.
Deloris truly enjoyed being a dedicated homemaker and mother. Her mission was taking care of everyone. She loved caring for babies, and through the years, she babysat and helped care for upwards of 80 children.
In addition to her parents, Deloris was preceded in death by her brother, Dirl Helms; sisters-in-law, Mildred Sullivan and husband, Eugene, Alfreda Emerick and husband, Roy, and brother-in-law, Marvin Billy Owens and wife, Twyla.
Deloris is survived by husband, Melvin; son, Curtis Owens and wife, Glenda, of Jefferson City, Missouri; three daughters, Kelli Myers and husband, Randy, of Seymour, Melissa Gale Freeman and husband, Jerry, of Fordland, Missouri, and Ladeana Campbell and husband, Aaron, also of Seymour; eleven grandchildren and their spouses, Ryan Myers, Heather and Richard Martin, Jessica and Joey Woods, Jerry Freeman III, Laquen Freeman, Rachel Freeman, Brianna and Matthew Warren, Jonathan Owens, Stephen Owens, Blake and Ellie Campbell, and Jackson Campbell; eleven great-grandchildren, Emma, Waylon, Holden, Conner, Jason, Evie, Dylan, Julie, Brigid, Zain, and Ezra; two sisters and their husbands, Sue and George Kanel of Seymour, and Letha and Damon Hume of Theodosia, Missouri, and sister-in-law, Marjorie Stafford and husband, Walter; numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.
