May 20, 2022
George Owens died peacefully on May 20, 2022 at the age of 80, in Dr. Andrew Pavillion (Summerland Extended Care) in Summerland, B.C. where he had been a resident since October 2019. He is survived by his wife Lynne of 54 years, and daughters Colleen (Alex) and Joy (Umberto), and his younger sisters Judy (John) and Lily. He was predeceased by his father Tom, mother Maggie, sister Helen, brother James (Jimmy), and brother-in-law Al (Frenchie). George was born and raised in Quesnel, a descendent of a well-established pioneering family of Chinese ancestry. At a young age, he and his brother Jimmy began performing with their accordions and travelled widely, performing in San Francisco, at the Vancouver PNE, the Calgary Stampede and appeared on CKNW in New Westminster.
Upon graduating from Quesnel Secondary School, he moved to UBC Vancouver to embark on his post-secondary studies. When his father died suddenly from a stroke, George returned to Quesnel at the age of 21 to help raise his younger siblings and assist his mother in the family store. He sold work clothing and footwear and expanded to sell Galaxy canopies and later, Slumber Queen campers. In addition to selling new campers, he also repaired damaged RVs. He was active in his community and volunteered for the Quesnel Loggers Sports Day (1979), Quesnel Homecoming, and he was the chairman for the Northern B.C. Winter Games (1982). He coached for the Quesnel Minor Girls Softball and helped with the Quesnel School Curlers. He and Lynne volunteered for the Quesnel Crisis Line for over 17 years.
When George and Lynne moved to Summerland, B.C. in 1991, he volunteered for the Summerland Fall Fair, and in the early 2000s, through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, he filed taxes for low-income seniors.
He shared his life with several cats and dogs; in particular he loved his dog Maggie and his cat Silken. He enjoyed making people laugh and always had a funny comment to add.
Lynne, Colleen and Joy would like to thank the care aids, nurses and doctors of Dr. Andrew Pavillion for the compassionate care they provided for George. They made sure he had beautifully painted fingernails at his request and he truly called it home.
A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. If you would like to honour George's memory, in lieu of flowers please make a donation to your favourite animal rescue charity or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.everdenrust.com.
Everden Rust