Robert Owens Obituary

Robert Wayne Owens DALLAS, TX - Robert Wayne Owens of Dallas, TX, and Charleston, SC, passed away peacefully at home January 24, 2024. The only child of the late K. Deland Owens and Colene Anderson Owens was born in Florence, SC, on March 1st 1947. A 1965 graduate of McClenaghan High School, he then graduated in 1970 with honors and a BA degree from the University of South Carolina putting himself through all four years. As a USC College freshman he was elected social chairman of his Chi Psi fraternity. Utilizing his inexhaustible southern charm, boundless energy, love and deep knowledge of beach music, he formed relationships with all the current hot bands. Booking them all, he became renowned as a mover and shaker on campus producing the best parties and shows...and a reputation as a great shag dancer. Summers from high school through college were spent as one of the fabled South Carolina Myrtle Beach lifeguards. He took pride on his deep tan and never having to rescue a swimmer because he simply never let them venture into water above their waist...wearing out dozens of whistles in a summer season. Lifeguards were required to rise at dawn, place dozens upon dozens of beach chairs and umbrellas on their beach. Ever the entrepreneur, he hired four local teenagers at 15 cents per chair/umbrella while he slept in. Summer nights found him as manager of a popular beachside hotel where he developed superb organizational and customer service skills. It was these formative years that produced a lifelong passion for the sun, sea, sand and beautiful long beaches. His 28-year career at American Hospital Supply/Baxter Healthcare, the premier national healthcare corporation, began with early success. Ever the impeccable dresser with his signature Panama hat, he was known for changing into a freshly starched white shirt three time a day as he battled the relentless southern heat and humidity. He spent hours honing his corporate skills and, in the process, found lifelong brothers in Alec Giles, David Unser, Parker Lee, and John Clark. He was nationally recognized and respected for his extraordinary ability to establish long standing lucrative business relationships and served as a mentor to many. His 13 relocations over the years, (Atlanta, Alexandria, Hilton Head and Charleston being favorites) found him buying a lovely home in each new city, furnishing it beautifully and entertaining his constantly growing family of friends. The historic Chautauqua Institute, a famed education, theatre, dance, film, and music resort in upstate New York, was the meeting place for Wayne and Bonnie, and beginning of their life together. A 2016 move to Dallas followed where he joined the Ebby Halliday/Dave Perry-Miller company as a member of the respected Chris Hickman Group. As in all of his life ventures, he brought success, prestige and joy to all. Chris became both a true "brother" and mentor. His last years found fulfillment with work and travel to his favorite beaches. He cherished the home he and Bonnie created, gathering friends and family around their dining room table and together toasting in gratitude all that life had bestowed. As an only child with no living relatives, Robert Wayne made the world his family. Gathering friends through the years, always present in times of joy and sorrow, he leaves countless families enriched beyond measure. Bonnie Bauer became his best friend and partner in a decade long, never to be forgotten adventure. He also leaves stepdaughters, Summar Phillips M.D. (Peter) and Angel Mahan M.D. (Tim) and step-grandchildren, Miley, Pete, Ford, Vivien, Charlie, and Timothy. He is fondly remembered by his friends in Charleston, SouthCarolina, and by his Hidden Lakes and Center Lake neighbors in Mt. Pleasant who all embraced him as family. His good friend, Ken Knight, wrote "His personality was as vast and embracing as the ocean he loved so much. A true Southern gentleman in every sense, his presence was a beacon of joy and warmth that illuminated the lives of all who knew him. He walked through life with an unmatched zest, a twinkle in his eye that spoke volumes of his love for adventure and simple pleasures. His laughter was contagious, echoing the boundless joy he found in every moment, big or small. To know him was to know happiness, to share in the endless stories that he wove with the charisma of a born storyteller. Dressed impeccably, he embodied the grace and charm of the South. His style was not just in his attire but in his demeanor, in the respectful nods, the generous smiles, and the open heart with which he greeted both friends and strangers alike. Above all, he was a man who cherished the serenity of the beach. There, against the backdrop of the setting sun and the gentle whispers of the waves, he found peace. It was his sanctuary, a place where the simplicity of nature mirrored his own philosophy of life-to live fully, freely, and with a heart open to the beauty of the world." Honoring his final request there will be a spring celebration of his sunny life with beach music playing, gallons of sweet southern tea and heaping platters of divine southern sweets with endless stories told by devoted friends of this true southern gentleman's life. Please consider in his memory a donation to The Children's Hospital Fund of Medical University of South Carolina, 18 Bee Street, MSC #450 Charleston, SC 29425 and/or The Bradley R. Watson Endowment Foundation to support research in hematological cancer at Baylor University Medical, Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation 301 N Washington Avenue, Dallas, TX 752406.