Sam H. Owen

Sam H. Owen



June 19, 1941 - February 27, 2017



Sam H. Owen left this earthly existence on February 27, 2017 after a 25 year fight with Parkinson's Disease. He passed away in Bakersfield, California at the age of 75.

Sam was born on June 19, 1941 in Alhambra, California to Charles and Henrietta Owen. He was an active and dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and held many positions within the church including serving as full time missionary in the Central America Mission.



He later returned to live in Guatemala City where he was serving as a member of the High Counsel of the Victoria Stake where he met his beloved wife, Antonette "Annette" Arriola Mejía. They married on November 11, 1982. They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple. Later, they were sealed to their children in the Los Angeles, California LDS Temple.

He graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's degree in Music. Sam was an accomplished musician and loved to perform for others. His love for music started when he was a child and practiced the piano for hours every day. His favorite thing was to find two or three hymns and compose them together into one beautiful rendition that delighted everyone who heard them. He was a dedicated individual who loved education and who was passionate about learning and educating students. He was an outstanding and fluent Spanish speaker. After his family's return to the United States, he served the Spanish congregations faithfully in Delano and Bakersfield, California by playing the piano, the organ and conducting choirs. He loved genealogy and spent countless hours researching and learning about his ancestors.



Sam is survived by his wife, Antonette "Annette" of Bakersfield. Children: Scarlett Ramnarine, Pinky (Julio) Homer, Gabby (Grant) Clark, Andrea (Ricardo) Tercero, Sam Owen, Sandra (PJ) Sanford and Scott (Desirae) Owen. Grandchildren: Josué, Laura, Lindsey, Andrés Perez; Mario, Diego, Ruby, Maya, Courtney Homer; Frankie Mattiaccio, Drew, Cheyenne, Remington Clark; Isabella and Pilar; Sophia, Brandon, Davis Sanford; Aiden, John and baby Owen. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Rodney.

A viewing will be held on Monday, March 6, 2017 from 10am to 11am with services immediately following at 11am - LDS Chapel located at 4100 Pin Oak Park Blvd., Bakersfield, CA. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Sam's life. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Brain Support Network for Parkinson's Disease research at https://www.gofundme.com/dads-brainsupportnetwork-donation .