|
|
|
In Memory of Ernest J. OwenInsurance Adjuster, Military Historian Ernest Jones Owen, 69, of Annandale, VA, a 40 year resident of the Washington DC area and a retired claims adjuster for Aetna Life & Casualty, died in an automobile accident March 17 in Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Owen came to Washington DC in 1958 to pursue graduate studies at The American University. He worked for Equifax from 1958-1961 before joining the Northern Virginia office of Aetna Life and Casualty as a claims adjuster, and took early retirement as Supervisor of Claims Adjusters from Aetna in 1988. He worked as a Claims Settlement Agent and Examiner for the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust in Fairfax Virginia from 1988-1996 before fully retiring. Mr. Owen was born in Ft. Bragg, NC and his childhood was spent in various military posts including Occupied Austria. He graduated from Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, VA and earned a degree in History for The Citadel in Charleston, SC in 1954. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an Infantry officer in the US Army and was a member of the 11th Airborne Division, serving in the Army of Occupation in Berlin during the Cold War. His military interests extended far beyond his role as an officer. He was a founding member of the National Capital Model Soldier Society and served in a variety of leadership roles for nearly 30 years. He developed an expertise in British and Canadian military history and military bands. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute and a major contributor of uniforms, decorations and artwork to the Brown Military Collection at Brown University. He was an active member of the Citadel Alumni Association and in 2000 founded the Citadel Band Scholarship Fund. He was a patron of the Virginia Grand Military Band. Survivors include his wife of 41 years Raquel P. Owen of Annandale, VA and his three sons Evan W. Owen, assigned to the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Conan D. Owen of Washington DC and Dylan G. Owen of Alexandria VA; and his brother David Edward Owen III of Louisville KY.
 |
               
|
