WWII veteran, retired barber a long-time resident

Steve Owen was born in Oklahoma. He grew up with one brother and five sisters. He was the middle child. His family moved south of Clovis in 1920 for the drier climate because his father suffered from medical problems. He grew up in a time when he and his siblings rode their horses to school, tied them to a tree and returned home once school ended.

He started in the workforce at a propane company. He joined the United States Air Force on July 8, 1942, during the second World War. He did 16 weeks in Weatherford, Oklahoma, for mechanic school in airplane engine training. During his service, he spent 19 months in Australia and eight months on the tiny island of Biak between New Guinea and the equator. Owen served 37 months overseas during WWII and returned home after three years and five months to see the war end.

He married his late wife, Beatrice Owen, on Jan. 22, 1946. The two met during Owen's Air Force training. They had two sons, George and Alan. Owen started barber school in 1951, then opened Owen's Barber Shop in Clovis. The business was open for 51 years.

He built his home in Clovis in 1960 and still calls it home today.

Did you have a lot of fun engaging in barber shop talk?

I just cut hair. I was a quiet barber, but I heard a lot of stories and jokes.

What's your favorite TV show, past and present?

I like the "Price is Right," "Wheel of Fortune" and "Let's Make a Deal." There was no television growing up and I think the first TV I remember was in 1952. There were some programs we watched, but I don't remember what they were.

Tell us how you met your spouse.

She was in college in Oklahoma when I was in Air Force training. After I left, we corresponded through letters and when I came home we got married. At that time we had V Mail (Victory Mail). It was a condensed film that was sent out and reproduced. That's what we used to communicate and the postage was free.

What's your idea of a perfect day?

Just doing what I want to do (he laughs). I like to do lawn work, fix up, paint up and doing thing around the house. I like to work.

When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing as an adult?

I thought I'd be a farmer. I didn't like farming, but that's all I really knew.

Where is your favorite place(s) traveled?

We had a camper. We liked to camp out north of the state, Colorado and California. I've made many trips to Oklahoma being that my family was there. My wife had a lot of family in Canada. We last went six years ago. I've made a lot of trips around the country. I did a bus trip for 14 days in 2013, from Seattle to the Red Wood Forest and Sedona and Lake Tahoe. I saw a lot of places.

Tell us a story about your childhood.

I was kind of chubby growing up. They called me "Heavy." More people know me by "Heavy" than my real name.

When I was two years old, dad worked at a dairy east of Clovis and he had a friend out there who started calling me 'Heavy' and it since stuck. I think was about 15 years old when I lost the weight.

Do you have a favorite song?

I like just about any hymn. I've attended New Life Assembly of God since 1958. I can't think of a favorite hymn off the top, but I like many.

What is your greatest individual accomplishment?

I helped drive the nails to my home and then paid for it within 15 years. I returned home on Dec. 23, 1945, from WWII as a sergeant with an honorable discharge. I provided for my family. I didn't make a fortune, but we lived.

— Compiled by CMI Correspondent D'Nieka Hartsfield