Extracted from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Marie Dean Owens

Marie Dean Owens, 98, died Monday, May 25, 2009, in Fredericksburg. Funeral: 11 a.m. Thursday in Martin's Funeral Home Chapel. Interment: Granbury Cemetery.

Marie was born Nov. 19, 1910, in Fort Worth. In the 1920s, Jim Owens was in a string band with his brother, Glenn. They played on the radio on Saturday nights. Jim was courting Marie at this time, but she was unsure she wanted to get seriously involved with as she call him a fiddle bum. This changed dramatically when she heard his band dedicate a song to Marie Dean, the prettiest girl in Fort Worth. The song was ``Sweet Marie'' by Cy Warman and Raymond Moore.

Marie and Jim were members of old Birdville Baptist Church for 37 years before moving their membership first to Fulton Baptist Church and then First Baptist Church in Fredericksburg. Both enjoyed serving the church in many ways. Both taught Sunday school classes.

They are together now. We will all miss ``Sweet Marie,'' but know that she enriched the lives of all she knew. Heaven is now a sweeter place.

Marie was preceded in death by her husband, James ``J.W.'' Owens, who was a county commissioner and later constable of Tarrant County, from which he retired in 1975. They spent their retired years first in the fishing village of Fulton, where they depleted the fish population considerably. They moved to Fredericksburg for the remainder of their lives.

Survivors: Her son, Gene and wife, Loretta; grandsons, Mike and wife, Cheryl, Trevor and James; nieces, Sybil Parsley, Peggy Parker, Barbara Shew, Virginia Barnhill and Jane Owens; nephews, Ray Dean, James Schomers, Walter Dean, Charles Owens, Johnny Owens, Bill Owens and Paul, Don and Billy O'Neal; and many friends.