Josephine "Phenie" L. Owen's Obituary
Josephine “Phenie” Owen, 83 passed away peacefully September 28, 2024 at Cedarview Nursing facility in Methuen. She was born November 26, 1940. She endured dementia for the past 4 years. Her family and friends witnessed her strength with every challenge this difficult disease brought.
She is survived by her 3 children Shawn and wife Jill, Lynne and husband Paul Morin, Jolene and husband Kevin Manning, sister Lillian, granddaughters Nicole, Sydney, Molly, Katrina, and her 2 great-grandchildren Anthony and Emily, in addition to many nieces and nephews.
She was raised in Lawrence, the youngest of 9 children. She was a 1958 graduate of Lawrence High and lived most of her life in Lawrence until moving to Methuen in her 70’s.
Aunty Phenie loved all things Irish, especially Irish music and family gatherings of any nature. She played Irish music every Sunday morning. Her favorite place to travel was Ireland. At one time, she wanted to retire there. She looked forward to Sunday dinners and holiday events at Joe & Jojo’s.
She was a fiercely independent woman, raising her family as a single parent. She made sure her kids never wanted for anything. Christmas time was her favorite time of year. She got so much joy is showering us all with gifts! We always told her it was “too much.”
She had a strong work ethic; always reliable and kept in touch with many of her co-workers through the years. She made it 6 months after retiring from Lucent Technologies before she “needed to do something and get out of the house.” That’s when she started her 2nd career in the cafeterias of the North Andover school district. She absolutely adored serving lunches to the children.
She loved cheering from the stands for her kids & grandkids events! She was so proud of her family.
Our family would like to thank the staff and her friends at Cedarview for taking care of her these last few years. She was fortunate to have so many people looking out for her. Although we can all agree this last chapter of her life was difficult and she is in a better place, our family will miss her deeply. If there is a heaven, she will no doubt be watching us from above; she hated missing out on anything! We love you Ma.
Family and friends are invited to call on Sunday, October 6th, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with a service at 2:30 p.m. in the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 122 Amesbury Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts. Burial will be private. For online condolences and other information please visit us at www.breenfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude’s and the Breast cancer foundation.
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