The family would like to share a Special message left on Neil's Facebook page by M. Bill McKeeman,
May 10, 2020
There has to be a special place in heaven for Neil Owen.
How do you thank a man that saved your soul?
He did it so gracefully.
I got to know Neil because we worked together. Every time I visited Neil’s store something special was going on. At first, I didn’t understand why, I just knew it was much different than any other store I had responsibility for. There was a light in the store. The same light that shone through Neil’s face, his smile, his eyes, even the skin on his face radiated that light.
The store was balanced, equitable and had a deep peace. In fact, to outsiders, the people who worked there were protective of what they had, what Neil brought them. It took some time before Neil’s flock trusted me with their secret. You see, they had worked for many people before, but none like Neil and they were suspect that the peace Neil brought would be destroyed by the world. They were right.
I was drawn to Neil, you see my heart was broken. Broken by many things in the world. The unfairness, and injustice of how people get treated. It was happening again. People who were turning the business around were being persecuted for being successful and doing better than they had been asked to do. Its astounding how often that happens, but it sure tells you what side people are on. I had a deep wound related to this and it was related to my father. Like many things God does for you, sometimes its years before you truly understand them.
One night in an Ottawa parking lot Neil Owen fixed all that. We had talked about it over dinner and as we walked to our cars, he knew it was weighing on me very heavily. Neil stopped us in the middle of the parking lot, he grabbed my hand and said “lets pray”. If you know Neil, you know what happened next.
It took some time, perhaps even to now, but 80% of it was gone that night. I got in my car and I couldn’t stop crying all the way back to the hotel. That’s how much pain Neil had lifted off me. A lifetime of trying to understand the struggle a Christian can have in this world.
Some things are very hard to understand when they happen, but faith has a way dulling the edges around those things and eventually leading you to peace. The more faith, the more peace. A peace that defies all understanding.
How do you thank a man who did all that for you? Well, I will try. Neil, thank you for saving a wretch like me. Thank you for bringing me peace. Bless you for being my friend. The world still needs you, Lord how we need you, but perhaps you were needed more somewhere else.
The hundreds, perhaps thousands of stories like that, that was your mark on the world. My goodness, what a special mark to leave.
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