Charlie Owen

We Lost a VERY Special Guy

Today we were awakened by a phone call from a friend who told us that we lost Charlie Owen last night due to an unexpected heart attack.

Since we have so many Charlies here in Grecia, he is known as the Charlie of “Charlie and Jeanetta” – his wife. This is a very special loss to me as Charlie and I had spent some time together even before we moved to Costa Rica. He had been stationed in Panama almost the same time my family lived there, so we got to talk about that and many other topics – including spirituality – as we were alone, and this is where I grew to love him as anyone who just knew him even for a short time would. He was the epitome of spirituality and he practiced the ways of the God of his understanding in all his days and told me frequently how he would cross the bridge on their property and spend countless time conversing with the “Man.”

Every single time I saw this man, I told him I wanted to grow up and be just like him. While I think he thought I was joking with him, I was NEVER joking. He was calm-spirited, always happy, and with this smile on his face that I shall always remember as it is very true that I still want to grow up and be just like him.

Jeanetta, his loving wife of almost 50 years, owns and runs the La Terrazza Bed and Breakfast, and while she is the proprietor of the B&B, Charlie was her man. Life here in Grecia will be different, but he is a memory of Grecia that none of us will ever forget.

I never want this posting to be called an “Obit” because I am the first to say that I celebrate the time I had with him, and I will always seek to have the peace, calm, and love of his fellow man that this guy had. Yes, he was my mentor in life, and I will always miss him. Look for his spirit though – it is the calming feeling, and you will know it when you feel it.