The wife of FMCA’s third national president helped nurture the association in its infancy and provided her own children with many valuable lessons.
February 2023
In the 1960s, Charlie and Jean Owens, L44, began embracing the motor coach life. They converted buses into motorhomes without blueprints or instructions to follow, learning as they went. They played instrumental roles during FMCA’s early years; in fact, Charlie served as the association’s third national president from 1967 to 1969. Jean supported her husband in his leadership role; helped establish FMCA chapters; and typed and wrote articles for FMCA’s magazine. She and Charlie also showed their children, Chuck and Alice, how to be self-reliant and resourceful. And they gifted them a love for travel.
Jean died November 14, 2022, at the age of 92, joining Charlie, who passed away in 2019.
“They were the most phenomenal parents,” said daughter Alice Owens Homes. “They instilled faith and family in us — the most important things. Everything else came after.”
The family attended FMCA conventions and turned them into month-long summer vacations. The Owenses visited all 48 contiguous states, often exploring parks and historic sites. “Our parents didn’t just tell us about places; they took us there,” Alice said. Boondocking was the norm. They dry camped in store lots and church lots. In lieu of watching TV, they played board games. The kids learned to empty the holding tanks and helped unload the refrigerator after a trip.
Jean and Charlie both grew up in Cincinnati and knew each other from childhood, as their families were friends. They didn’t start dating until college. Both had tickets to attend an event; Charlie’s girlfriend was ill, and Jean’s boyfriend was also, so they went together. Six weeks later, on March 31, 1951, they were married. Their union lasted 68 years.
By example, the couple taught their children the keys to a happy marriage. “They did everything together. They were best friends. They never raised their voices . . . they would agree to disagree,” Alice said. “When RVing in a confined space, you had to get along; all of us learned to do that. And it carried over to our own marriages.”
Like her husband, Jean was hands-on. She made drapes for their motorhomes and crafted the upholstery. Parents and children learned how to laminate counters and tables, an exacting process that had to be done just right to ensure a proper fit. Jean pitched in with coach plumbing and wiring. Alice recalled the time her parents purchased a stub-nosed Blue Bird to convert. When it was parked on their driveway at home, they switched out the engine — and everyone helped. All conversion work was “truly trial and error,” Alice recalled. “So many people were coached in how to convert a bus into a motorhome by my mom and dad.”
The Owens family attended all of the FMCA national conventions in those days, plus chapter rallies hosted by the Midwest Coachmen, Illini, Converted Coach, and others. Jean enjoyed having friends all across the United States, Alice said, and each event was a reunion of sorts. Pitch-in meals were common; everyone tossed something into the “bean pot,” and the resulting dish was never the same twice. Along with other FMCA wives, Jean enjoyed quilting, cross-stitching, and crocheting.
FMCA was more than just a club to the Owens family, and RVing was more than just a way to vacation. Jean and Charlie gave their children “a wealth of memories and experiences,” Alice said.
“I wouldn’t trade those memories for the world,” she added.
In addition to Chuck and Alice, Jean is survived by six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.