Junior Leon Owings

Junior Leon Owings, 74, formerly of La Grande, died Oct. 12.

A memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canby.

Junior was born July 14, 1934, to Lula and Artie Owings in Hubbard. He graduated from Canby High School in 1952 and then attended electrical apprentice school. He married Sylvia Friton in 1956.

Junior served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War and was in the service from 1953 to 1957.

A longtime resident of La Grande, Junior owned J&E Electric from 1962 to 1978 and was a La Grande city commissioner as well as an active member of the Jaycees. He was also chief electrical inspector for the state of Oregon until his retirement in 1998. During that time, he taught basic and advanced electrical classes.

After retiring from the state he worked for several county and private agencies. He was an active member for 30 years in the International Association of Electrical Inspectors.

Junior had a passion for the outdoors. His favorite place was the mountains of Eastern Oregon. He referred to Eastern Oregon as God's Country. Even though he returned to his family homestead in the Willamette Valley, he regularly returned to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Blue Mountains.

Junior is survived by his mother, Lula Owings of Wilsonville; wife, Sylvia; son, Donald of Vancouver, Wash.; daughters, Kerrie Wylam of Roseburg and Carla Schimpf of Washougal, Wash.; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; four brothers, Johnnie, Gary, Danny and Larry; and two sisters, Annie Gilmer and Cheryl Roth. He was preceded in death by his father in 1991.

Memorial contributions may be made to any charity.

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