Gaylord Kenneth Owens, 101, of Lisbon, was called to his heavenly home Thursday, March 7, 2024. Visitation was Sunday, March 10, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services in Mount Vernon. Funeral services were Monday, March 11, at Uncommon Church (formerly First Federated Church), 115 N Walnut Street, Lisbon. Burial with military honors followed at Lisbon Cemetery.
Those unable to attend are invited to watch the service via livestream. Please find the livestream link on Gaylord’s Tribute Wall and share your support and memories with his family at www.stewartbaxter.com under Obituaries. Memorials may be directed to the family or charity of the donor’s choice.
Survivors include his wife of nearly 79 years, Nola; children, Dean (Linda) Owens of Stephenville, Texas, Jerry (Linda) Owens of Carmichael, Calif., Melissa Owens of Lisbon, Marilene (Rick) Julich of Cedar Rapids, George Owens of Lisbon, and Joe (Carolyn) Owens of Independence; 13 grandchildren; and ten great grandchildren with one more on the way.
Gaylord was born Dec. 18, 1922, in Fountain, Minn., the son of George and Myra (Fidler) Owens. He graduated from Lisbon High School in 1941. Gaylord served in the US Army during WWII and the occupation of Germany. On March 26, 1945, he married his sweetheart, Nola Robertson.
After the war, he was trained as a Linotype operator and worked for area newspapers. He also worked at Stamats Publishing for 21 years, then started his own printing business, Owens Impressions, which he ran for 10 years.
Gaylord was active in the First Federated Church of Lisbon from his early days, and serving as a board member for many years. Because he had six sons, Gaylord became involved with the Christian Service Brigade, a faith-based organization for teenage boys. He was the leader for 20 years.
Both Gaylord and Nola were involved in the Hidden Lake Brigade Camp in Mechanicsville, which was supported by their church. Camp was in session for several weeks every summer and for over 20 years they went to camp every Sunday night for a wiener roast and then Saturday morning to cook and serve pancakes.
For many years, they worked with Love Packages of Butler, Ill.. The organization collects used religious materials to be donated to third world countries. Gaylord and Nola drove around the entire state of Iowa picking up items, then a few times a year they would load their van with the materials and haul them to Illinois for distribution. They also drove the elderly folks of Lisbon to doctors appointments and various errands for over 30 years.
Gaylord was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Bob and Francis; and brothers, Lawrence, Orian, and Harold.