Barbara Ann Owens

Born January 16, 1933, in Medford, OR, to Wenonah McKinnis and Forest Riley, Barbara Riley had an idyllic childhood with her brothers Jack and Patrick– playing sandlot baseball in vacant lots around Chico, and eventually Sacramento, which became her home. President of Eta Epsilon Gamma at (then) Sacramento Junior High, where she earned her Associate’s Degree in Merchandising.

In August of 1953, she married Norbert Owens of Marceline, MO– she would mov there briefly until a collapsing basement wall gave them the nudge they needed to return to California where Norbert got his CPA degree and Barbara began making their home together. They were married for 60 years, often square dancing, throwing cocktail parties, and feeding the backyard squirrels, until Norbert’s death in 2014. Barbara is survived by her two children, Mary and Sean, her grandson Nick, and a large, loving extended family. As a great believer in the afterlife, she has promised she’ll be back to visit.

Barbara was an amazing storyteller, whose love of literature and history made her a delightful source of never-ending anecdotes. Her main ambition in life was to create a beautiful home for her family, and a lifetime of wonderful memories. In this, she has been hugely successful.