William E. Bill Owen, age 86 of Joplin, passed away Friday, April 20, 2007 at 12:30 p.m. He was born October 20, 1920 in Ottawa County, OK to the late Carl and Edna Thurman Owen and had lived in Joplin since 1921. Active in Boy Scouts, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. After the War, he served for a time as Scoutmaster and was presented the Golden Son Award. A graduate of Joplin High School and Joplin Junior College (now MSSU), he is a Life Member of the MSSU Alumni Association. A U.S. Navy veteran, he served for five years as a Naval Aviator during World War II and attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He co-owned and operated the former C & A Barbecue, Bill Owen's Bar-B-Q in Webb City, the Elms Motel, the Sands Motor Lodge and the Owens Dutch Village Inn before entering the real estate business in 1970. He worked as a sales person, real estate broker and a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser. He owned and operated Owen Appraisal Service until retiring in 2002. He was a past board member of the original Big Brothers, serving two terms as president. He was a board member of the former Joplin Children's Home. He was a board member and first vice president of Joplin Jaycees. He was a board member of the Joplin Chamber of Commerce, serving as chairman of the Tourist and Visitors Committee. He was past president of the Southwest Missouri Restaurant Association and past president of the Joplin Motel Association. He served on the board of the Joplin Board of Realtors and the Missouri Realtors Association. He was a former member of the Ozark Chapter of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. He was a former member of South Joplin Lions Club, charter member of Range Line Lions Club, former member of Joplin Rotary Club and Twin Hills Golf and Country Club. He was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church and a 28-year member of Joplin Elk's Lodge No. 501. On June 21, 1963 he married June Palmer. She survives. Additional survivors include two sons, David Owen and wife Kitty of Brooklyn, NY, Steven Owen and fiancée Phyllis McGill of Joplin; two daughters, Charla Owen Connelly of Tulsa, OK, Jana Owen Brown of Joplin; four grandchildren, M. Blake Connelly and wife Courtney of Tulsa, Amanda Connelly of Ft. Worth, TX, Robert Owen and Katelyn Brown, both of Joplin; sister-in-law, Akiko Owen of Honolulu, HI. Two brothers, Virgil and Carl Owen, preceded him in death. Bill was a loving, gentle and kind husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was an avid golfer, boater and skier. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 25th at Parker Chapel with Rev. Aaron Brown officiating. Interment will follow at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at the mortuary. Memorial contributions may be made to either the Cancer Center of St. Louis University Hospital or Missouri Rehabilitation Center in Mount Vernon. The family expresses their special thanks to friends Toy and Sandy Phillips, Millie Wofford and Denise Cline.