Ernest Stanley Owens

Ernest Stanley Owens went peacefully to be with the Lord on July 15, 2019 at his home in Gaithersburg, Maryland. 

He was affectionately known as “Stanley” by family and friends. His co-workers and colleagues called him “Ernest” or “Ernie.”  Stanley was the eighth child born to the late George and Augusta Owens on October 7, 1931 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Stanley grew up in Gaithersburg and was educated in Montgomery County’s segregated public school system.  He graduated from Lincoln High School in Rockville, Maryland and later received a B.S. degree in Biology from Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. While at Kentucky State, he was inducted into the Psi Psi chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Inc.…also known as the “Ques” or the Sons of Blood and Thunder.

In August, 1954, Stanley joined the United States Air Force. He served two terms, seeing duty in Japan and France. He was honorably discharged in 1962. While in the service, he worked in the areas of noise pollution, radiation contamination, industrial irregularities, and/or incidents on the Flight Line. 

After his military service, he was employed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Biological Research Technician in the National Cancer Institute.  Stanley took great pride in his job. He received numerous commendations and awards for outstanding performance.  He later joined the NIH Clinical Center, where he performed research on brain tumors and Positron Emissions Tomography (PET) scans. These studies were conducted to determine what drugs could be tagged and used in brain tumor diagnosis and therapy.  Stanley retired in 1995 with 41 years of service, which included 33 years of employment, one year of sick leave, and seven years of military service.

His Christian journey began late in life.  In December 2001, Stanley became a member of the Goshen United Methodist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. Guy Johnson.  He was a devoted and diligent member of the church.  He faithfully did whatever he was asked to do.  He often said, “I hope what I do here will inspire and encourage others.”

Stanley leaves to mourn his passing and cherish his loving memory, a brother, Lionel Owens; sister, Marlene Owens; an aunt, Anna Belle Barnes; sister-in-law, Anna Belle Owens; a devoted niece, April Randolph (Tim); a devoted nephew, Pat Claggett; and a devoted friend, Ward Knowles, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.  He was preceded in death by six brothers: Elwood, Euell, Harold, George, Kenneth, and John and two sisters Anna and Virginia.

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