Mable Suen Owyoung

Mable Suen Owyoung, 82, of Dermott, went to be with the Lord on Monday, October 19, 2020, at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock. She was born in Dermott, Ark., March 13, 1938. She was the fifth of nine children born to the late Yee Gow Suen and Mary Chiang Suen. She is an alumna of Dermott High School and became an X-ray technician in San Jose, Calif., where she met her husband of 61 years, Lawrence "Larry" Alfred Owyoung. After marrying and beginning her family in San Jose, Calif., she and her family returned to Dermott in 1969, to run her father's grocery business, Y L Tow & Company. Besides the grocery business, Mable also was an x-ray technician at Dermott Hospital. In the 1970's, Mable went back to college at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and earned a degree in education where she taught at Dermott Junior High School. After years of teaching, her career led her to Adult Education, where she helped many students obtain their GED. In addition to raising a family and working full-time, she and Larry ventured in a new direction and in 1975, and opened a restaurant in McGehee, Trade Winds Restaurant. Mable managed the restaurant and was always happy to see and meet people from near and far who came to enjoy Larry's Chinese food. Mable retired from the restaurant business and remained a teacher at the Dermott Juvenile Center until the age of 74. She could then fully enjoy her children and grandchildren. Mable was a faithful servant of the Dermott United Methodist Church and her favorite hobbies were cooking, reading and playing bridge. She always looked forward to visiting with her bridge club family. Mable loved to cook for her family. She would cook and make a "quick" trip to Little Rock to drop off the food. here were also many trips to the grocery store in Greenville, Miss., to pick up a "few things." Her family enjoyed their impromptu visits because they always happened to have a few goodies. She is preceded in death by her brothers, Chester Yee, Gene Suen; and a sister, Laura Lim. She leaves behind her husband, Larry; her children, Jeff Owyoung (Sallie) of McGehee, Russell Owyoung of Little Rock, Stephanie Bierbaum (Jon) of Lake Village; her siblings, May Lim of Marysville, Calif., Ming Suen of San Francisco, Calif., Dr. James Suen of Little Rock, Ark., Mary Gee of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Judy Toguchi of Honolulu, Hawaii; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Kent, Jessi Owyoung, Chase, Paisley, Ellis, and Charlotte Owyoung, Ross Owyoung, Mary Ashleigh, Zac, and Helen Frances Harper, Maddison, Owen and Margaret Mayo Bruton; and a host of nieces and nephews. Graveside services will be Saturday at 11 a.m., October 24, at the Dermott Cemetery with Brother Buddy Ratliff officiating. Pallbearers are Kent Owyoung, Chase Owyoung, Ross Owyoung, Zac Harper, Owen Bruton and Brian Hardin. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Arkansas Cancer Research Center, 4301 West Markham, Little Rock, Ark., 72205, or Dermott United Methodist Church, 100 North Main, Dermott, Ark., 71638. Arrangements by Griffin-Culpepper Funeral Service of McGehee, Ark. Online guest book may be signed at www.griffinculpepper.com