Emma Ruth Owens

Middletown, RI - Emma Ruth Evans Owens, 90, of 164 Boulevard, Middletown, RI, died Friday, November 20, 2009 at Forest Farm Health Care Center in Middletown.She was the wife of the late Robert W. Owens.Born in Dayton, OH on December 23, 1918, she was the daughter of the late Alva and Edna Evans.Mrs. Owens was a 1940 graduate of Rogers High School and a 1942 graduate of the Newport Hospital School of Nursing. She was a registered nurse in obstetrics at Newport Hospital retiring in 1980. Mrs. Owens was President of the Newport Hospital School of Nursing in 1960 and past-president of the Middletown P.T.A. She was a former Middletown Girl Scout and Brownie Leader. After her retirement from Newport Hospital, she served 20 years as a volunteer at the Middletown Public Library delivering books to shut-in patrons. Ruth, along with her late husband, were active members of the Middletown Senior Center. Emma was an ardent gardener and an avid Red Sox fan.She is survived by her son, Douglas M. Owens, Sr. and his wife, Deborah, of Middletown, RI; her daughter, Pamela Shaw of Amesbury, MA, three grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Her funeral will be held on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 9 am from the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a chapel prayer service at 10:30 am in Newport Memorial Park, Howland Avenue, Middletown.Calling hours will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2009 from 4-6 pm in the funeral home.In lieu of flowers, donations may me made to Smile Train, www.smiletrain.com