James Kenneth Owens

James Kenneth Owens, 77, of Rosepine, LA, died in his home Wednesday after a long illness. Visitation will be Saturday, July 12 from 11am-1pm at Chaddick Funeral Home. Memorial service will be Saturday, July 12 at 1pm at Chaddick Funeral Home. Rev. Cole Weeks, Rev. Tony Warren, and Nathan Wolsefer will officiate. 

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jeanne Owens of Rosepine, LA; brother, Danny Owens, Sr. & Kaye of DeRidder, LA; two daughters, Jesse Lambert & David of Plano, TX, and Evelyn Malone & Michael of Urbandale, IA; five grandchildren, Davis James Lambert, Grant Philip Lambert, Mary Ellen Kathleen Lambert, William Hendrix Malone, and James Michael Malone; and many beloved nephews, nieces, family, and friends.

Born in 1947 to Rev. and Mrs. William H. Owens, Jr., James served in Vietnam earning two bronze stars, then spent a decade in Houston before returning to SW Louisiana, eventually running his home inspection business ProSpec in Lake Charles. After the 2005 hurricanes he worked in disaster recovery for the SBA for 17 years until retirement.

Astride his work, James was known for his home projects, and his generous heart. A true Mr. Fix-It, he was called to neighbors’ sinks, yards, roofs, and other carpentry ails around Lake Charles. When he wasn’t fixing, he was building. Sawdust and whistling were Saturday morning fixtures; bonfires under the giant Magnolia closed many nights. He spent years hand-building a two-story cabin in Rosepine, recruiting his five brothers and sister to raise the walls, roofs, and lay floors. There, a carnival of woods, precarious electrical choices, and rustic family heirlooms hosted generations of Owenses.

He and Jeanne shared a lifelong devotion to musicking, which flooded their house and many church sanctuaries with warmth and commotion. His story-telling and fun-making fed into church roles, front-yard block parties, and the amiable humiliation of his daughters.

Donations may be made in his name to Walnut Hill Pentecostal Church in Leesville, LA.