WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Robert I. Owen, 82, a retired Foreign Service Officer, a retired Commander in the Naval Reserve, and a well-known New Jersey environmentalist, died on Oct. 5, 2003, at the Navesink House in Red Bank, N.J. During World War II, Bob served in the Navy as a naval engineer, largely in the South Pacific. After the war, Bob decided to leave engineering. Instead, Bob enjoyed a 25-year career as a diplomat with the Department of State. A specialist in Soviet and Eastern European affairs and fluent in several languages, he spent his professional life dealing with the long cold-war struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. In his final overseas posting he was the U.S. Consul General in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Upon his retirement in 1971, Bob and his wife, Mary, moved to West Long Branch, N.J. Bob and Mary both became deeply involved in the community. Bob invested countless hours in their church, The Old First United Methodist Church in West Long Branch, in the Rutgers Alumni Association, and in service to environmental organizations and causes. Bob is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Hance Owen; by his sons and their wives, Jim and Jan of Bangor, John and Lisa of Florida, Jeff and Chris of North Carolina; and daughter, Ellen McNaughton of Michigan; and seven grandchildren. Bob will be buried at a family plot at First United Methodist Church in West Long Branch, N.J. A memorial service will take place at a future date. Gifts in his memory may be made to an environmental organization of your choice.
ROBERT I. OWEN
