John Owens

Funeral service for John Collins Owens, age 79, of Cookeville, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday July 3 at Church on the Hill. Rev. Bill Stone will officiate. Interment with military honors will follow at Cookeville City Cemetery. His family will receive friends Tuesday from 4 - 8 p.m at Dyer Funeral Home and again Wednesday from 10 a.m until service time at the church. Mr. Owens passed away Saturday June 29, 2019 at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. He was born September 30, 1939 in Overton County, TN to the late Alvin Delmer and Bernice Holbert Owens. Mr. Owens was a member of the TN National Guard. He was a Tennessee Tech University graduate. His professional career included service with the Federal Highway Administration from which he retired. He later became an enrolled agent with the IRS. He also formerly worked for the Food and Drug Administration and US Department of Agriculture. Mr. Owens was a devout Christian and member of Church on the Hill. He is survived by his daughter, Emily (Brad) Qualls of Nolensville, TN; three sisters, Ann Barkalow of Mt. Juliet; Jerri Barnhill of Birmingham, AL, and Ella (Gary) Givens of Cartersville, GA; two grandchildren, Kathryn and Claire Qualls; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Melinda Burkitt Owens; and infant sister, Peggy Jane Owens. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cookeville Pregnancy Clinic, 714 North Dixie Avenue| Cookeville, TN 38501 or the Bethsaida Cemetery Fund c/o Cindy Pritchett, 3062 Flowers Rd, Monroe, TN 38573 Dyer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-7158 Share your thoughts and memories at dyerfh.com.