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Brother Curtis Owen 1919-2020

Brother Curtis was born October 30,1919 and departed from this life on October

26,2020, four days short of his 101st birthday. He was born in McMahan, Texas the
son of Odus and Mary Elizabeth Owen. He had 3 brothers, Judson, Leland, and Odus

Owen, Jr, (“Dutch”). They all preceded him in death. Curtis attended school in McMa-
han and graduated from Lockhart High School. He was a basketball player and was
named the outstanding player in Caldwell County. Curtis served his country in World

War II, where he was an Army Medic in the 36th Division and rose to the rank of Staff
Sergeant. He served in North Africa, Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. The 36th

division helped liberate Rome and France from the German forces. While on leave
from the Army in 1944, Curtis married Edith Reed Morrow from Sebastian, Texas on
December 13, 1944. Curtis and Edith had met and courted at Church meetings. Curtis

returned to the war and was part of the forces that liberated the Nazi concentration
camp at Dachau, Germany.

After the war, Curtis and Edith moved to the family farm. Curtis’s ambition was to
become a lawyer, but the need for him come back to the farm was great. Curtis and

Edith worked together on the farm. He was a farmer-stockman, who raised corn and
sorghum to feed the cattle and hogs and grew cotton until 1961. Curtis Owen was a

leader in many organizations in the community. He was a charter member and served
as the first president of the McMahan Volunteer Fire Department, a charter member
and president of the Caldwell County Farm Bureau and he received the Pioneer award

from the Texas Farm Bureau. He served on the Lockhart Independent School Board of
Trustees and served on the boards of the Luling Foundation Farm, Jeffrey Cemetery

Association, ASCS county committee, Soil and Water Conservation Board and the
Caldwell County Appraisal District. He was named Agriculturalist of the year by the
Lockhart Chamber of Commerce.

Curtis was devoted to worshipping the Lord as a member of Bethel Primitive Baptist

Church in McMahan. He joined the Church in 1938 and was a member for eighty-two
years, of which he was a deacon for sixty-nine years. He served as the Church clerk
for forty-one years. Curtis’s other devotion was to Sacred Harp singing, carrying on

the heritage of his family. Curtis and Edith passed that love of Sacred Harp down to
their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, who all sing Sacred Harp.

Curtis also sang for many funerals in his lifetime. There were very few family vaca-
tions growing up, but many great memories of trips going to Church meetings, sing-
ings, or visiting the relatives.