Not that Owens ever loafed around
in the service yard. Having served with
most of the other technicians for years,
he helps them out as need be. If it’s not
something he can remedy – and there’s
not much he can’t – he knows some-
body in the service yard who has the
answers. It might be Jay Anderson of
Mercury or David “Happy” White of
Power-Pole, two of Owens’ closest
associates.
“It’s been a fun ride,” says Owens,
who looks forward to spending more
time with his wife, Sylvia, sons Lorin and
Levi, and five grandchildren. Owens is
going to continue to operate his one-
man sawmill outside Mountain Home,
Ark., and dabble in woodworking. He’s
also talking with the Ranger folks back
in Flippin about becoming a customer
and dealer troubleshooter.
“I’ve enjoyed the company of some
of the finest tournament fishermen
there are, from the Canadian border
down to south Florida, from Virginia to
California,” he adds. “I’m going to miss
the fishermen a lot, because I’ve made
friends with so many of them, and I
always looked forward to seeing them
at the next tournament. I’ll also miss
the other service technicians and the
FALL 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM
various FLW tournament staffs that I’ve
gotten to know down through the
years. They’re a great bunch of people.”
The feeling is mutual. The display of
admiration shown Owens by those who
attended the Forrest Wood Cup’s open-
ing banquet was genuine. Even when he
wasn’t working on a boat, knowing that he
was there on the bank and had their
backs was a comfort to Ranger anglers.
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