January 21, 1930 – May 22, 2021
Mary Jo Owens, 91, Cicero, passed away peacefully at her home on May 22, 2021. A strong believer in a better life after this one, she awaited a joyous reunion with loved ones no longer with us. Mary Josephine Recobs was born on January 21, 1930 in Elwood. Her parents were Virgile G. (Osborne) and Frank E. Recobs, who preceded her in death. She was a graduate of Tipton High School, Class of 1948.
From an early age, music was a great interest and she played the flute and occasionally piccolo in the Tipton High School band and the Ball State Orchestra. For a time, she studied at the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music in Indianapolis.
Mary Jo attended Ball State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1952. In her early years she taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools System, Northwestern Howard Schools in Galveston, Ind., and Third Ward in Noblesville. Finally, she taught in the Hamilton Heights Schools community for the next four decades. She completed her master’s degree at Ball State in 1967.
She married Bill Owens on June 12, 1953, and raised three children in Cicero. Her husband preceded her in death in 2002.
Her retirement years were spent tutoring her grandchildren, enjoying the company of family and friends, going to church, studying the Bible and rooting for Notre Dame football. She also enjoyed reading voluminously, especially mysteries and spy stories of a British or New England flavor. She enjoyed sharing her community spirit with her friends of the Cicero Kiwanis Club.
Survivors include a daughter, Anne (Bill) Tharp; a son, Steve Owens; and a daughter, Kathy (Doug) Bures. She is survived by four grandsons, Chad (Amy) Dunn, Robert (Catrina) Dunn, Benjamin Bures, and Joseph Bures. Mary Jo was blessed with six great-grandchildren, Kaylie (Kyle) Snodgrass, Jaysie (Lenard) Vander Lyke, Dreiken Dunn, Madison Dunn, Caitlin Dunn, and Dusty Dunn. She also had a great-great grandson, Atlas Vander Lyke, and two more expected this year. Her children also included the hundreds of students she taught throughout her career.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a great-granddaughter, Madison Dunn, and son-in-law, Douglas K Bures.
Special thanks to Dr. Nathan Lambert and his staff and Dr. Lori Wisely and her staff. The family also wishes to thank Guardian Angel Hospice of Kokomo for their strong support and guidance in a very difficult time.
Services have been entrusted to Hartley Funeral Home, 209 W. Jackson St., Cicero, where friends are invited to visit from 3 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, with a candlelight ceremony at 7:45 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the same location at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 2, followed by a brief graveside service.
In lieu of flowers, friends may wish to make a contribution in Mary Jo’s name to the Hamilton Heights Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 469, Arcadia, IN 46030; or Victory Chapel, 13350 E. 216th St., Noblesville, IN 46060.
Condolences: hartleyfuneralhomes.com