Beatrice “Bea” Owen

May 20, 1933 - Dec. 13, 2023

Beatrice “Bea” Owen passed on to heaven on Dec. 13, 2023, at the age of 90, in Newport News, Va. She will be forever remembered for being a loving mother, daughter, wife, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, aunt and friend.

Beatrice “Bea” Owen was born on May 20, 1933, in Deaver, Wyo. Bea grew up in a large, loving Mexican-American farm family among five sisters and five brothers centered in Greybull, Wyo. Her parents were Felix and Elisa Saldana who came from Mexico and New Mexico and farmed in the Emblem area. She graduated from Greybull High School in 1953. She married Frank Owen of Lovell, Wyo., on Oct. 22, 1954, in Lovell. They had two children, Effie May and John Henry, who were raised for many years in Seattle, Wash., where Bea worked as a waitress and Frank as a truck driver. Due to their love for and roots in the Big Horn Basin, they returned to Greybull, Wyo., in the late 1990s. She worked in the Greybull thrift shop and the gift shop at the retirement center in Basin, cleaned private homes and always volunteered her time to help others. 

She and Frank spent countless hours rattlesnaking. She was the one to do the catching, long stick and burlap bag in tow! Not one scared bone in her body. Frank did the skinning. Bea did whatever sewing required in the making of the hat bands, belts that they made from the skins. She enjoyed doll-making and playing cards and board games with the family where she showed her competitive spirit. She was devoted to her Catholic faith and to the family, consistently reaching out to her siblings, nieces and nephews and her grandchildren to offer loving support, and remembering birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. She became the family historian, a tribute to her ability to foster connections. She is loved and will be missed and is forever a huge blessing in our lives and those that were fortunate to have known her.

Bea is survived by her son, John Henry; two sisters, Lea and Mary Ann; two brothers, Felix and Joe (Lottie); her seven grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren; 6 great great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Her daughter Effie May’s death followed her death on Jan. 28, 2024. She was preceded in death by twins in infancy; her husband, Frank; her father, Felix Saldana,; her mother, Elisa Saldana; her sisters, Mickey, Josephine and Mary Lou; her brothers, Fred, George and Frankie, and her grandson Howard Cain. 

Graveside services and burial will be held on July 15, 2024, at 11 a.m. in the Lovell Cemetery located at 1123 Lane 13, Lovell, Wyo.