Charles B. "Toppy" Owens Jr.

On April 17th, Charles B. Owens, Jr. "Toppy" passed quickly and unexpectedly from his earthly life to his eternal life that he so fondly anticipated. Psalm 116:15 reads, "How precious to the Lord is the death of His saints." Family and friends are concentrating on the Lord having one of His saints as they grieve over the loss of their dear father, son, brother, grandfather -- affectionately called Partner -- uncle, cousin, and friend. Toppy attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated from the U of A with a BA in English in 1966 and later received a Masters in Creative Writing at Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. Toppy worked as a teacher, football coach, and an insurance agent. He spent the last 23 years of his career as owner of White River Insurance Agency with locations in Mountain View, Fairfield Bay, and Clinton. He devoted himself to serving his clients that he came to know and love. An active member and past Chairman of the Arkansas State Golf Association, Toppy and his Father, Charles Owens, were recently featured in a special edition of "Arkansas Golfer" highlighting their many years of golfing together. Toppy followed his father's footsteps as an avid Razorback fan and football supporter. They sat in the same seats in Razorback stadium for almost 50 years. Anyone that knew Toppy knew they could find him on a golf course, at a Razorback game or driving to see his parents, children, and grandchildren. Toppy never met a stranger. The first time he would meet someone they were as special to him as family. He was always smiling and whenever you left his presence, you felt better about yourself. He loved to be the life of the party, his recognizable laugh and spirit could fill any room. Toppy would do anything for anyone; it was never a sacrifice for him. His humor was fun, his smile sincere, his wisdom well studied, and his advice was given with discretion. His faith was firmly and deeply rooted in Jesus Christ. He devoted his life to God and read the Bible daily. He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Mountain View, and enjoyed his men's Bible study group. He loved to speak the Word of God, and preached as a lay minister. He cherished the opportunity to preach at local area churches. He commonly quoted Psalm 133, "How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity, it's like a precious oil." He prayed a prayer learned from his grandmother, "may all would be saved without the loss of one." Toppy loved his children and grandchildren unconditionally, and devoted his time to being a part of their lives and teaching them life's many lessons. Toppy was preceded in death by his dear mother, Jean Winburne Owens. He is survived by his father, Charles Owens, Sr. of Morrilton and sister Melinda "Lin" Carnahan (Gary) of Hot Springs. His sons, David of Fayetteville, Josh (June) of Madison, Miss., and Jordan (Murry) of Fayetteville. His daughters Judy Altman (Michael) of Joplin, Mo., and Abby Lacy (David) of Houston, Texas; seven dear grandchildren, Scott, Josh, Jordan, Belt, Owen, Eli and Sarah, and many beloved cousins, relatives and friends. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19th at the First United Methodist Church in Mountain View where the Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, April 20th at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Fairview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville at 1 p.m. on April 21st. Pallbearers will be Roger Goodwin, Kenneth Sutton, Stacy Buchanan, Bob Byrd, Gary Devun, Charles Penick, Gary Dewey and Timmy Decker. Memorial donations may be made to "missionary funds" at Flatwoods Missionary Baptist Church or First United Methodist Church both of Mountain View, Arkansas.