Glenda S. Owen's Obituary
Glenda Joyce Selman Owen8/14/1930 to 3/24/2019On August 14, 1930, in Memphis, Tennessee, Velma Velita and Hugh Anderson Selman had a beautiful baby girl. They named her Glenda Joyce, a name that would embody her life and her spirit. Glenda – soft, pretty, unique. Joyce – a life filled with joy in all things big or small.At 8 ½, Glenda made a decision to follow Jesus Christ and was very active in the church her entire life. She offered her talents wherever they were needed: junior choir, vacation Bible school, youth group, teaching Sunday School and Bible studies, new baby ministry, shut-in ministry, meals ministry, and many others. She was always ready to jump in and help.Glenda’s father died in a railroad accident when she was 14 years old. Through that difficult time, she saw her mother’s deep grief and her courage, strengthened by her faith, which greatly impacted and inspired Glenda’s life.After high school graduation, Glenda attended Belhaven College to prepare for secretarial work. Since typing and shorthand were not her forte, she continued her education in Bible at Montreat College, Southwestern (Rhodes), and ATS (Union – P.S.C.E.) where she received a Bachelors of Religious Education.With a strong desire to serve abroad, Glenda first had to complete a “2-year Working-in-the-States” requirement. Somewhere along the way she realized that America offered an amazing mission field, so that is where she stayed. Wherever she was “planted” in America, she pointed people to the Savior and proclaimed God’s love through teaching and living relationships.While living in Roanoke, Virginia, Glenda met her future husband, Henry Carrington Owen, via the church match-maker. They were married 8 months later on December 14, 1957. They were blessed with three children, David, Robert, and Teresa, before moving to the Baltimore area. Their new church was the body of Christ that supported Glenda and Henry with overflowing love in bearing the burden of the loss of 6-year-old David.After nearly 21 years of service in the Maryland church, she moved to Dallas for Henry’s new job. For decades, their new neighborhood was Glenda’s mission field with a focus on fostering a spirit of neighborliness. She volunteered with the Dallas Police Crime Watch Program, Ferguson Road Initiative, White Rock Hills Library, Connor Elementary School, and was instrumental in adding a skateboard course to the local park. Glenda also poured herself into new church, Eastminster Presbyterian, and served wherever there was a need.Glenda loved God’s people and God’s creation and captured both in photos and her own art work. She believed that every person has God-given talents that should be used for His glory, and she lived that belief. She put the teachings of the Bible into action; she lived the Bible. She was a very sweet and unselfish woman who always put others ahead of herself: J-O-Y – Jesus, Others, Yourself. An inspirational theme for her were these words from a song:“Others, Lord, yes others,Let this my motto be.Lord, help me live for others,That I may live for Thee.”In November, 2018, Glenda fell and broke her hip. Following surgery, she had an extended stay in a nursing facility for rehabilitation. Then in February, 2019, she was moved to a specialty hospital for a bone infection in her heels. Even during this struggle, she was a witness for Christ with her pleasant personality and beautiful smile! The last few years of her life, Glenda was shackled with a mind and a body that no longer worked the way she wanted. In death, she is now free!Glenda is survived by her husband, Henry C. Owen, her children, Robert Owen and Teresa Owen Schaeckenbach, and her grandchildren, Annie Schaeckenbach Joransen, and Jake, Luke, Caroline, and Matt Schaeckenbach, and her sister, Dorothy Jean Selman Rider.In lieu of flowers please make contributions to Eastminster Presbyterian Church in memory of Glenda Owens.Funeral service will be held on April 1, 2019 at 1:00 pm at Eastminster Presbyterian Church.
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