Betty Jean Rowland Owen was born on July 17, 1932 in Bixby, Oklahoma to Roy James Rowland and Ella Horn Rowland. Her dad worked in the oil industry, and she and her brother Leroy grew up on an oil lease near SE 55th & High Avenue in Oklahoma City. Betty graduated from Capitol Hill High School in 1950, and the day after graduation she eagerly began working as an office clerk at Davon Pipe Line Company, typing up royalty checks.
Betty married Rodney Owen on May 27, 1953. They were having trouble finding a date that worked for family and friends, so after talking to their pastor, Bro. J.C. Brown, Betty and Rodney decided to have a surprise wedding before the wedding shower being hosted for them by the ladies of Grace Baptist Church near SW 25th & Agnew. They lived in Del City for 11 years, before purchasing a brand-new house on SW 63rd Street, where Betty lived for the next 54 years as a homemaker and raised her children, Peggy and David. Rodney and Betty joined Southwest Baptist Church in 1962 and were very active members. Rodney was a deacon, taught Sunday school, and sang in the choir and in a men’s quartet. Betty served as church clerk for a time and taught Sunday school. They were married for 39 years, before Rodney went to heaven in December 1992.
At the age of six, Betty realized she was a sinner and needed to be saved. She went to her mother and told her she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart, but she only received a reassuring hug. Later at church, she went to her pastor, who prayed for Betty, asking Jesus to save her. She continued to live for the next 31 years with a false assurance of her salvation. One afternoon, meditating on spiritual things while attending to her normal household duties, Betty realized she had never truly been saved. She knelt down in her home alone and prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive her of her sins and become her personal Lord and Savior. A sense of peace came over her that she had never felt before and she knew the presence of the Lord in her life from that time forward.
Betty had three great passions in her life. The first, and most important, was her service to God. The great joy of her life was teaching children’s Sunday school classes and Vacation Bible School for over 40 years. She gave of herself to seriously study and prepare her weekly lessons, faithfully visit in the homes of the girls in her class, and always kept a supply of small prizes to reward them for memorizing Bible verses. Betty also loved world missions and missionaries and gave regularly to Faith Promise Missions. Her second greatest passion was her two granddaughters, Melissa and Hannah, who were 13 years apart in age and whom she loved dearly. Betty was diligent about giving them a godly heritage. She also enjoyed many happy years taking them on trips, lavishing them with gifts, and making sure they had wonderful memories at Grandma’s house. Betty’s final passion was her love of gardening and bird-watching, especially her favorite bird, the cardinal. She always had lots of bird feeders and beautiful plants and flowers growing in her yard.
In 2018, Betty moved to the Meadowlakes Assisted Living Center, where she was able to receive extra care as her health declined. Early on Sunday morning, March 5, 2023, at the age of 90, Betty passed peacefully in her sleep and went home to heaven to be eternally with her Savior.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her in-laws, her stillborn baby boy, her husband, her brother, her son-in-law, and her daughter. She is survived by her son, David Owen and wife Kelly of Oklahoma City, OK; her granddaughter, Melissa Rogers of Del City, OK; her granddaughter Hannah Schmutzler and husband Cameron, who are serving as overseas missionaries; her three great-grandsons, Isaac, Benjamin, and Joshua; and her extended family and church family whose lives she deeply influenced by her godly example.
A funeral service for Betty will be held Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Southwest Baptist Church, 1300 SW 54th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73119. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at Resthaven Memory Gardens, 500 SW 104th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73139.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AdvantageSouth.com for the Owen family.
