Louis Carter Ownbey
July 2, 1926 ~ February 21, 2006
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville Butterfly Trail
Louis Carter Ownbey, 79, of 19 Hickory Tree Road, Asheville, NC, died Tuesday, February 21, 2006, at home following a brief illness.
A native of Buncombe County, he was a son of the late Josephine Duckett Ownbey and E.J. Ownbey, Sr. He was also preceded in death by his beloved wife, Bernice Gunter Ownbey, who died in 2002; two sisters, Lillian Cagle and Alice Holcombe; two brothers, Robert Ownbey and EJ Ownbey.
Mr. Ownbey was employed by the US Postal Service for 36 years. His last position was as a chief financial officer at the Regional Headquarters in Memphis, TN. For the past 18 years he was employed by the Grove Park Inn. A US Army veteran of WWII, he served in Germany and France.
He graduated ffom Sand Hill High School, Asheville, as president of his class in 1943 and later helped organize many class reunions. His most enjoyable times were spent with his family and friends, golfing with his buddies in earlier years and working at the Grove Park Inn.
Left behind to treasure his memory are a son, Michael R. Ownbey of Swannanoa, NC; a daughter, Pamela Ownbey Farrar of Asheville; two granddaughters, Holly Bobbitt and husband Chris and Angel Cook and husband Alex; three great-grandchildren, Caitlyn, Hadley and Holden Carter, named in honor of his great-grandfather; several nieces and nephews and his dear friends.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday in the Patton Avenue chapel of Groce Funeral Home, Asheville, with the Rev. Paul Hacklander officiating. Burial will follow at Acton United Methodist Church Cemetery.
His family will receive friends from 12:30-2:00 pm at the funeral home prior to the service and at a reception immediatley following the burial at Acton UMC across the street from the cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Acton UMC, 171 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville, NC 28806 or to Heartsong Methodist Church, 800 North Houston Levee, Cordova, TN 38018.
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Dear Pam & Mike,
A friend in Memphis sent us the obituary on your Dad and we were so sorry to hear this and also shocked that your Mom had passed away in 2002. You know we loved them and you two kids (that is what you WERE). Please call me sometime so we can visit. My office is 800-255-5721 or my cell is 817/994-2120. Much love, Jerry and Suzanne
My heartfelt condolences to the Ownbey family. Lou will be greatly missed by not only me but everyone he touched at the Grove Park Inn. He certainly was a most cherished member of the GPI family. He brought many smiles to all of us and carried with him a spirit that filled him to overflow, and shared this spirit with all he came in contact. What great memories we will all remember and cherish.
I will always remember Lou pushing his mail cart with a big smile on his face & a hello for everyone…
He has been & will be missed @ GPI!
In my 8 years of employment here at Grove Park Inn, my day wasn’t complete until I say and said ‘good morning’ to Lou. He was the first person to make me feel at home on my first day of work and a day didn’t go by since then, that he didn’t say ‘hello’ and we stopped to chat about his family, who he loved very much.
He will be sorely missed.
Lou will be missed by all at The Grove Park Inn. He was loved and respected by all. He brought joy and an uplift in spirit to each and every person he came in contact with. Always a smile on his face and his positive attitude overflowed and was contageous us us all. We loved Lou and will cherish those wonderful memories forever.
Lou was a much loved member of our Grove Park family. I saw Lou almost every day and he was always ready with a friendly word. It was always good to ‘run into’ Lou on his mail route. He could always brighten my day. He will be missed greatly. Our prayers are with you, his family and friends.
-Kevin
Thank you Lou for the opportunity to know you. I am blessed for that experience. By example you showed me the importance of enjoying every precious moment. Because of what you stood for you left this world a better place. Today I celebrate your life.
Dear Ownbey Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Lou was a constant blessing, with his cheerful attitude and warm personality he was such a pleasure to be around. We’ll miss him dearly.
It was indeed a pleasure to work with such a admired man. My thoughts and prayers are with the Ownbey family. I hope the memories are as comforting for you as they are for the entire Grove Park family.
My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ownbey Family.
Lou’s smiling face, cheerful personality will be missed by everyone at the Grove Park Inn and SPA. He will always be remembered.
Lou always brighten the day of all the employees. He will truly be missed.
Condolences to the Entire Ownbney
Family
I have worked at the Grove Park Inn for almost 5 years now. It was a joy to see Lou every day with the mail. He was always in good spirits and had good things to say. He could brighten your day with a smile and a kind word. I will miss him dearly as it is almost like losing a member of my own family. My best wishes to his family.
Lou, I will miss you so much and am very grateful for all our chances to talk- about life, family, work and more. You shared so much with everyone! I still have my penny… (smile)
I will often think of Lou and smile. Love and Best Wishes to his family that he loved so dear.
Lou will be greatly missed by his entire family at the Grove Park Inn. I always looked forward to seeing Lou’s smiling face in the morning as he delivered our mail. Rest well and in peace Lou.
I am so sorry for your loss. Mr Lou was a joy to have around and a highlight to our work day.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Brandy
You will be so very missed, but you are home now.
It very rare to meet a person who leaves you smiling everytime you meet and I will never forget him..
May God comfort his family in knowing that he will be ok…
James R. Wykle..a friend
Lou always brought a smile to my face with his daily cheerful greeting of, ‘Well, we’re back at work again!’ He touched people by simply being himself, and we loved him for that. Lou showed us by example how to treat each other well.
I’ve haven’t seen Lou in almost 5 years since leaving the Grove Park Inn to move to SC with my family, however I still remember him with great fondness. While working with him on a daily basis for more than 9 years, he brought me joy and kindness with his warm smile. Lou, you are truly missed and your memory will stretch across the miles and stay with us forever.
-Cindy Curtis
I was blessed to work with Lou for 18 years at Grove Park Inn. During our time together I quickly realized that I was the presence of man that truly understood what was important in life and knew how to live life to its fullest. I know that I’m a better man, husband, friend, and father based on our relationship as co-workers.
Thank you Lou for living a life that I could admire.
See you later,
B
Lou was such a dear, sweet man! Always a smile for everyone, he will be greatly missed.
Dear Mike and Family,
I am so very sorry to hear about your Dad. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. I never had the pleasure of meeting your Dad, but he must have been a great person to have such a wonderful son. Take care.
Love,
Becky
Dear Owenby Family
Lou is special to me also. We would swap War storys. Then he would always tell me One Day at a time is the way to live.We will all miss Lou ,It was an Honor just to know & talk with him.
Lou was like a continual ray of sunshine that sometimes seemed to appear out of nowhere and always at the precise time. You must all be proud of him.
Lou will be soooo missed! You brought sunshine to our everyday!Love you, Jane
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time. Lou was a very special man and will always be one of my most cherished memories of Grove Park Inn.
There are so many things that I will remember always about Lou. I have known him the entire l8 yrs he’s been at GPI & looked forward to seeing him everyday coming in the office for his mail. He knew so much about taking care of our mail and getting it out, that I never had to worry about it. He loved his family, especially his daughter, Pam. They were a ‘close-knit’ team, always helping each other thru another crisis! He loved his grandchildren & the great-grandchildren.Every time he took a vacation for his family reunion, he would tell me about those ‘good ole times’, as he called ’em. Lou never liked being sick & having to miss his work. He blamed it on ‘all those ole pills his Dr. had him on. Lou was so special in all the years I knew him. He shared so many special times with me as well as some not-so-special times. He was like having a very special friend and I have missed him so much already. He’s in a better place now and I hope he knows that he will always be in my heart. I loved Lou very much.
I’m so sorry to hear about Louis’ death. I remember him coming to see Carroll just before his death. He was one of the few that did. I remember how much Lillian loved him. He had such a good heart. Please accept our families condolences. My daughter Darlene has his chin. God bless you at this difficult time.
My heart goes out to the Ownbey family. Lou is a very special man and he will be missed by myself and every one of his Grove Park Inn family members. Not once in the past seven years did he fail to make me smile. Heaven could not recieve a finer person. God bess you Lou.
For the past fourteen years Gallery Of The Mountains(located inside the Grove Park Inn)has had the privilege of knowing Lou, a simply magnificent human being. Without exception, Lou gave the world his best, always bestowing a smile, a kind greeting, and a soft word to anyone he came in contact with.
We offer our most sincere and heartfelt sympathies to all of you.
I worked with Lou at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa for 7 years. He was the one to train me how & where to deliver mail when he took vacation time. Lou was the sweetest man. He would take me on the mail run, show me locations of mailboxes, teach me how to handle people that I would deliver mail to. I will never forget huge baskets of ice cream that he would buy for our department. It took us days to eat it all. He will be missed.
Lou, I will miss you dearly. It was an honor to know you and to work with you at GPI. I will ALWAYS remember the smile on your face.
Hazel North-Blalock
Safety & Security
Dearest Mike and family,
We are so very sorry to hear about the loss of your wonderful father. You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Lou was a wonderful asset to The Grove Park Inn. He always had a smile and a welcoming hello. We will miss him greatly. May God bless and keep you in this difficult time.
SRWilson
Lou was a wonderful asset to The Grove Park Inn. He always had a smile and a welcoming hello. We will miss him greatly. May God bless and keep you in this difficult time.
SRWilson
The Ownbey Family: My own father is alot like Lou and I don’t get to see him very often. The many precious years that I worked closely with Lou were like working with my own father. For that I am greatful!
I also remember fondly Lou and Gert looking forward to the Annual Accounting Christmas Party ‘White Elephant Gift Exchange’.
I will miss him.
To the family of Lou. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Lou for seven years at The Grove Park Inn. I feel fortunate and honored to have called Lou my friend. Please accept my heartfelt sympathies. We will all miss Lou’s upbeat and positive presence as well as his ‘mails here’ call.
I’ve known Lou for 15 of the 18 years he worked at Grove Park.
Lou was the sweetest person I’ve ever known and he will be missed. I sometimes smell his cologne and peer up to look for him.
My thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of loss.
We went to school with Louis and graduated with him. He has kept us informed about our classmates and all the changes in Asheville. Much of our history was shared by him. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed his letters and phone calls. He was one of a kind and will be missed by both of us. Our prayers are with his family.
I miss seeing Mr. Lou everyday and being greeted by his smiling face. He was such a sincere and genuine man. My thoughts and prayers are with you, his beloved family.
DEAREST PAM AND FAMILY: ALTHOUGH I HAD JUST MET YOUR DAD ABOUT A YEAR AGO, HE WAS THE KIND OF PERSON THAT MADE YOU FEEL SO SPECIAL. HIS KINDNESS,(AND THAT SMILE!), IS WHAT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. GOD HAS A GREAT MAN IN HIS PRESENCE NOW! LET YOUR OWN MEMORIES HELP YOU THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TIME. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING AT ALL, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I LOVE YOU, PAM, AND YOUR FAMILY. GLORIA