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Show i . Former Congressman Wayne Owens Found Dead In Tel Aviv PANGUITCH - Wayne Owens, 65, a Panguitch native and former four-term representative represen-tative from Utah to Congress was found dead Wednesday, Dec. 1 8 about 9 p.m. local time on a beach in Tel Aviv. A State Department spokesperson at the Consular Affair Bureau in Washington D.C. stated that his death appeared to have occurred from natural causes. Owens, in 1989 with S. Daniel Abraham founder of Slim-Fast Foods, established the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Development, a Washington-based group, where he served as its president. He was a strong advocate for improved Middle East relations and had worked with leaders of that area seeking peace through economic development. . Owens had served on the House's Foreign Affairs and Permanent Select Intelligence Committee. At the time of his death he was leading a congressional congres-sional fact-finding delegation visit with leaders of Syria, Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Israel and representatives represen-tatives of the Palestinian Authority. He also met with Arafat in 1989 in Tunisia. Born Douglas Wayne Owens on May 2, 1937 in Panguitch to Joseph and Ruth Eliza Owens, he graduated from Panguitch High School. He served an LDS mission in France and graduated from the University of Utah from which he received his law degree in 1964. Owens practiced prac-ticed law in Washington D.C. and in Utah and maintained Wayne Owens homes in Washington and Salt Lake City. Early on he served as a staff aide to Sen. Frank Moss (D-Utah) (D-Utah) and as an administrative assistant to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass). Owens) served in the House of Representatives from 1973-1975, 1973-1975, losing a battle against Republican Jake Garn for a Senate seat in 1974. Owens was said to have blamed his loss on his vote to impeach Republican President Richard M. Nixon while serving on the House Judiciary Committee. As a former for-mer member, he appeared before that committee in 1998, opposing the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Utah in 1984 but successfully regained his seat in the House in 1986, remaining there until he lost a second bid for the Senate to Republican Bob Bennett. Owens fought to protect more than 5 million acres of Utah wilderness and he was a strong advocate for Utah's downwinders suffering from radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons tests in Nevada. After leaving public office in 1974, Owens served as president presi-dent of the Montreal LDS Mission and practiced law before being reelected to the House in 1986. (See obituary on page 4A ) Area Obituaries Douglas Wayne Owens D. Wayne Owens, age 65, beloved husband, father, grandfather, grand-father, brother, mission president, presi-dent, Member of Congress, and President of the non-profit Center for Middle East Peace, died suddenly on Dec. 18, 2002, of an apparent heart attack while in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he was nearing completion of a nine-nation, nine-nation, peace-seeking trip with several members of Congress. Our hearts are broken with this loss, but we thank our Father in Heaven that Wayne was a part-of part-of our lives and have faith through the resurrection that we will see Wayne again. Wayne was born on May 2, 1937 in Panguitch Utah, the youngest of nine children, to Ruth Eliza Dodds and Joseph Owens. At a very young age, he showed a keen interest in books and government. He graduated from Panguitch High School and the University of Utah, receiving his law degree in 1964. He served a three-year mission for the Church of Jesus . Christ of Latter Day Saints in France, where he served in the mission presidency. Of all of Wayne's various church callings, call-ings, he liked being a missionary mission-ary most. While in France, Wayne became acquainted with Marlene Wessel, another missionary, mis-sionary, whom he later courted. They married on August 18, 1961 in the Salt Lake LDS -Temple. Marlene and Wayne enjoyed 41 years of happiness together. Wayne genuinely loved people peo-ple and was extraordinarily generous gen-erous with his time and resources. He was a wonderful and caring husband, .and spent several weeks recently nursing Marlene back to health from ' I Wayne Owens surgery. His five children and 14 grandchildren always knew of his unconditional love. He had boundless energy and reached out to everyone he met. He treated everyone with respect. Wayne's great passion was politics, which he considered a very honorable profession, and he was proud to be a lifelong Democrat. He worked on the campaigns and staffs for Calvin Rampton, David King, Milt Willeman, Frank Moss, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Senator Ted Kennedy. In 1972, Wayne ran for Congress by walking 7 1 1 miles across the State of Utah. The walk was an extraordinary success, and Wayne went on to win the election. Time magazine named Wayne as one of its "Leaders for the Future." While in Congress, Wayne worked tirelessly on the impeachment proceedings investigating Richard Nixon and voted to stop funding the Vietnam War. After losing a race for the U.S. Senate in 1974, Wayne served as LDS mission president in the Canada Montreal Mission from 1975-78, 1975-78, which years he called the most extraordinary of his life. Wayne was re-elected to his old U.S. House seat in 1986 and twice won re-election by ever-increasing ever-increasing margins. Wayne championed dozens of causes, including fighting to compensate compen-sate Utah downwinders for the illnesses suffered from nuclear testing and to protect Utah's unique red rock wilderness. In 1992, Wayne lost his bid for the U.S. Senate. He served on two U.S. Commissions and several national environmental boards. In 1992, Wayne co-founded the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Development with his friend, Danny Abraham. He spend the next 10 years of his life working to bring peace to that troubled region, making monthly trips there to meet with key leaders and build bridges. Predeceased by his parents, and siblings Joseph John "Jack" Owens (Marie), Lola Barton (Ren), Sara Brady (Jim), Norma Owens, and Glayd Owens (Ruth). Survivors include his wife and children: Elizabeth Tew (David), Douglas (Cynthia Smart), Stephen (DawnAnn Cook), Sara, and Ted (Andrea Thomas); grandchildren Sara, Chelsea, David, Jared, Elijah, Landon, Wayne, Samuel, Emmeline, Abigail, Lydia, Thomas, Claire, and Timothy; Siblings Georgie Cuff (Adrian), Betty Ruth Brown (Lewis), and Ted Dale Owens (Christine). Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 23, 2002, at the Arlington Hills LDS Chapel in Salt Lake City. . Interment at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. |
