Burial Date
Obituaries » CONRAD E. OWEN
OWEN, CONRAD E., 86, the Mayor of Maple Grove, went home to be with his beloved wife, Mary on March 29. He passed away peacefully at the Woodridge Nursing Home in Berlin where he had resided for the past eight years. Born on March 19, 1928, he was the son of Gordon and Lucille (Dickey) Owen, of East Barre, where he spent the majority of his life. He attended East Barre School and graduated from Spaulding High School in 1946. On June 1, 1949, he married Mary Marchetta Outland in the First Presbyterian Church of Barre. Following their marriage, they lived in Williamstown and East Barre before moving to Sterling Hill in South Barre in 1981. They enjoyed 64 years together. She died on October 15, 2013. A salesman all his life, his career began selling cars in 1949 at Farnham’s Pontiac and then at Cody Chevrolet in Berlin. He spoke of attending car shows and Boston Red Sox games with the Cody brothers, of which many great memories were made. He went on with his career as a salesman for Hooker’s Furniture store in Berlin where he had the opportunity to learn all the facets of the business, especially interior design, carpet and wallpaper installation. He also worked at Godnick’s Furniture in Rutland and Whitcomb’s Furniture Store in East Barre. One of his favorite customers was Maria Von Trapp, of Stowe. Conrad helped decorate and furnish the Trapp Family Lodge and Maria’s personal quarters. He remained at Hooker’s until his retirement in 1997. In 2006, Conrad became a resident of the Woodridge Nursing Home. During his time there, he was involved in many activities. He worked on the residents committee to communicate concerns representing the residents’ perspective. He sang in the many choirs and entertainment groups. In addition, he worked with the kitchen staff to improve the “flavor” of the food being served. Keeping busy and helping others was very important to him; while a resident, he painted all of the outdoor furniture and the railings in the hallways. An article was run in The Times Argus about his building birdhouses, which gave him great joy. He sold many of them and out-of-state recipients acknowledged them during his recent birthday card shower. Conrad loved telling stories and jokes and had great fun playing poker and cribbage with his friends. An active member of the East Barre Congregational Church for many years, he had served as a deacon and choir director and served on many boards and projects. Conrad looked forward to the visits of Mrs. Parker’s 4th grade class from Union Elementary School in Montpelier. He was helping a student with a history project and on one visit, a guitar was brought out, music and song followed, a truly blessed moment. The children happily left with a small birdhouse Conrad had made for each of them. His wife, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were very dear to him and the family dogs, Kibble and Molly. Some of his best memories were of his homes and gardening, especially his roses. He could fix anything and enjoyed home repair. He built many pieces of furniture which his family cherishes. Survivors include his daughter, Vicki Moreau, and husband, Gilles, of East Barre; his daughter, Melanie Armstrong and husband, John, of Montpelier; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews. Besides his wife, Mary, and parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Francis Owen, and a sister, Ruth Riddell.
