THOMAS E. OWENS

Thomas E. Owens Jr. March 1, 1931 - Sept. 24, 2014 SOUTH BEND - Thomas E. Owens Jr., 83, of South Bend, Indiana, passed away at 5:52 p.m., Wednesday, September 24, 2014, in Memorial Hospital. Thomas succumbed to cancer and died peacefully surrounded by loved ones. He was born on March 1, 1931, in Cicero, Illinois, to Thomas E. Owens Sr. and Edith (Bognar) Owens. Tom was the owner of the former Sun Valley Orange Juice Company in Michiana, and was known as the "Juice Man." He had also been employed as a Realtor with Forbes-Varner Agency in South Bend.

Tom is survived by his loving partner, Loretta Newsom of South Bend, Indiana; two daughters, Kelly (Carl) Marseilles and Tomme Owens, both of South Bend, Indiana; one son, Chris (Lisa) Owens of Osceola, Indiana; nine grandchildren, Ann, Katie and Carla Marseilles, Jonathan and Evan Owens, Heather (Noah) Schumacher, and Trey, April, and Jacob Zubler; three great-grandchildren, Rylie Marseilles-Kurek, Parker James Zubler and Alta Lynn Schumacher; one sister, Maryann Young of Silver Springs, Maryland; and one brother, Robert Owens of South Bend, Indiana.

Thomas was preceded in death by one grandson, Shaun Owens; and one brother, James Owens.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September 27, 2014, in Holy Family Church. After Mass, there will be a visitation from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Saturday at the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive.

Thomas attended Holy Cross Grade School and graduated from South Bend Central High School, where he played football and was a wrestler. He was a member of Holy Family Parish, the Moose Lodge, and the Sons of the American Legion, Post #284. He was past president and active member for over 20 years at PWP. Tom loved scuba diving, chess, classical music, dancing, Lake Michigan, swimming and water sports; however, his number 1 passion was football. He was an ISHAA Football Referee for 38 years. He refereed football scrimmages for the University of Notre Dame and worked as a sideline referee for Notre Dame home football games for 26 years. Tom was also the Head Referee in the movie "Rudy."

Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. To send online condolences, please visit Kaniewski.com.

Published by South Bend Tribune on Sep. 26, 2014.

02/03/2023 EJS