William Owens

William (Bill) Fred Owens, Jr.





Pisgah Forest- William (Bill) Fred Owens, Jr., 72, passed away on February 13, 2009 at Transylvania Regional Hospital. He was the son of the late W. Fred and Sallie Matthews Owens of Winston Salem, NC.



Mr. Owens, a 1959 graduate of Wake Forest University, was a member of the First Baptist Church of Brevard where he taught Sunday School and was a former Deacon. After 31 years of service, Mr. Owens retired from Ecusta Paper Company in 1994 as Director of Tobacco Industry Research. Upon retirement he focused on the business he founded in 1961, Owens Orchids in Pisgah Forest.



Mr. Owens is survived by his wife of 47 years; Joyce Petty Owens; two daughters, Cathy Welder and husband Frank of Clemmons, NC and Carol Brown and husband Ben of Charlotte, NC, one brother; James Reid Owens of Winston-Salem, NC; five grandchildren; Luke and Ethan Welder, Aaron, David and Hannah Brown, step-mother, Lillian Bailey of Winston-Salem, NC.





Memorial services will be held at 3:00 PM, Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the First Baptist Church of Brevard with the Rev. Danny Hedgepeth and Dr. Russell Willis officiating. Gravesides services will be 4:00 PM, Saturday, February 14, 2009 at Pisgah Memorial Gardens.



Memorial contributions may be made to the Wake Forest School of Divinity, 1834 Wake Forest Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106 or to the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina, PO Box 338, Thomasville, NC 27360.



To leave a condolence message for the Owens family, please go to "Obituaries" at www.moore-fh.com .



Moore Funeral Home is caring for the family.