Karen Owens, a resident of Willow Springs, passed away at her home Wednesday, August 30, 2023. She was born June 12, 1951, in West Plains, MO to Virgil Wayne and Lois Lorene (Lovan) Wheeler and was 72 years old.
Karen attended Hutton Valley Elementary before she graduated from Willow Springs High School in 1969. On October 10, 1968, she married the love of her life Dwayne “Duke” Owens at Blue Buck. After school, she briefly found work at Rawlings until it closed. After it closed, she worked as a self-employed painter, putting her artistic talents to work. In her free time, she enjoyed gardening, painting, cooking, sewing, spending time with her beloved grandchildren, and as a devout Christian she attended First Baptist Church and loved to share the word of God with others. She will be greatly missed by all who loved and knew her.
Karen is preceded in death by her husband, Duke; her parents, Virgil and Lois; and her brother, Keith Wheeler.
She is survived by her son, Kurt and wife, Angela; her son, Glen and wife, Shawn; her sister, Becky and husband, Bill Gossard; her grandchildren, Tyler, Brandon, Kimmy, Elizabeth, Andrew, and Piper; she is further survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Neighborhood Christian Schools, P.O. Box 497, Willow Springs, MO 65793. Donations may also be made online at Classicalncs.com. A visitation and funeral service for Karen will be held at the First Baptist Church in Willow Springs on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, with Pastor Joel Hinds officiating. The visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. with the funeral service immediately following at 11:00 A.M. Interment will be held at Howell Memorial Park Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of Willow Funeral Home, LLC. Online condolences may be left at www.willowspringsfuneralhome.com.
