Aleda Jeanne Owen, 74, of Oak Harbor, passed away on March 7th at the UW Medical Center in Seattle. Her family gathered to be with her until the end and sought to brighten her last days with their constant company and by playing her favorite music.
Eager to come into this world, Aleda was born three months earlier than expected on February 23, 1949, in Dayton, Ohio to Vaughn and Thelma Reid. The family moved to Pontiac, Michigan when she was still quite young and there she remained until graduating from high school. She was very active in those early years and excelled both as a competitive figure skater and youth orchestra violinist.
Aleda was a navy wife and with Michael Owen had three children, AJ, Heather, and Sean. As military families do, they often moved, spending time stationed in Tennessee, California, and where, she ultimately felt most at home, Whidbey Island. She loved everything about Whidbey, the towns, parks, glorious sunsets, and its many inviting waterways. She was one of the earliest members of the Oak Harbor Yacht Club and during the 70s was an avid sailor.
Aleda was a supportive mother and always eager to help her children’s interests and talents. Her daughters remember her fondly as their Girl Scout leader, both in Tennessee and Washington, and how diligently she supported their rise to the Girl Scout Gold Award. Likewise, her son showed an early interest in music, and she made great sacrifices to encourage his development as a classical guitarist.
Animals, whether wild or domestic, were always dear to Aleda and for years was an avid supporter of both the Orca Network and WAIF. SShe loved watching the wildlife in her garden, the birds, rabbits, deer, and a significant portion of hummingbirds. But most of all, she adored her feline companions and at any one time always had at least a few roaming about her house.
In her later years, she became utterly fascinated by genealogy and developed significant family trees both for her own family and those of her friends. Nothing thrilled her more than to discover familial connections, no matter how distant, with prominent individuals and events from the past.
Aleda is survived by her three children and their spouses, four grandchildren and their spouses, and three great-grandchildren. Her remains will be interned alongside her parents and grandparents in Dayton, Ohio’s historic Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum. If you would like to honor Aleda’s memory, please consider donating to either WAIF or the Orca Network.
