OWENS, Mitch 1921 - 2016It is with profound sadness, we announce the passing of Mitch Owens – father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend to many during his ninety-five years with us. Mitchell George Owens was born on March 25, 1921 in Cook's Creek, Manitoba near Winnipeg. As a teenager during the Great Depression, Mitch left the family farm, riding the rails and holding a succession of odd (sometimes, very odd) jobs in Winnipeg, Toronto and the lumber camps of Northern Ontario before enlisting in the RCMP in 1943. Among his many postings over his 21-years in the Force, Mitch served in war- time Halifax and in England as an Immigration Officer. He treasured most his three very tough years stationed in Pond Inlet on the northern tip of Baffin Island where he developed a life-long affection for the land and for the Inuit people. Retiring from the Force in 1963, he became a self-taught businessman, building and operating a mobile homes park near his home in South Gloucester, near Ottawa. In 1966 he entered municipal politics where, for the next 25 years, he served the Township and later City of Gloucester in a number of positions including Councillor, Deputy Reeve and Mayor.Leaving politics at the age of 70 in 1991, Mitch finally and truly retired, splitting time between his 150-year old stone house in Gloucester located, coincidentally enough, on Mitch Owens Road (by order of city council in 1991) and his Florida vacation home. In both places, until recently, he was able to indulge in his passion for fishing. Although officially retired from the RCMP for 47 years, Owens never really left the Force. He became involved in the Veterans Association, was elected its National President in 1988 and, into his 90s, attended as many divisional and regimental events as possible. Mitch was predeceased by his sisters Anne and Lillian, his brother John and his wife Stella (Futa) and daughter Marianne (Crowder). He is survived by his sons Martin and John, his granddaughters Cassandra, Natasha, Shannon and Sara, his grandsons Judd and Tyler, and his great-grandchildren Katarina and Nadia and Owen and Cole. Both his immediate and very large extended families deeply miss him and are proud to have known him.His sharp mind, incredible storytelling, irreverent sense of humour, and easy laugh stayed with us to the end. "Stop me if you've heard this one." A big thanks to the wonderful people at Orchard View for their care.Friends and family may pay their respects at McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home 1411 Hunt Club Road at Albion Road on Monday, November 21 from 2 till 4 and 7 till 9 p.m. Funeral Mass Tuesday at 11 a. m. in Our Lady of Visitation Church, South Gloucester. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the RCMP Veterans Benefit Trust Fund.