Deacon Thomas F. Owens - Sixty Years of Service

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We honored Deacon Tom Owens on September 20, 2012 with a lifetime service award. Deacon Tom has been a member of the St. Vincent De Paul Society for sixty years. He recently stepped down as president of the St. James SVDP in 2011 after many years of service.

Deacon Thomas Fleming Owens

Deacon Tom was born November 9, 1916, in Greenwich Village, New York.

His Grandfather started his owns trucking business (Owens’ Trucking) which in those days (and Years to follow) consisted of a horse and cart!

This eventually grew into a good family business. Tom was never physically involved as he was slated for scholardom - beginning with parochial elementary school in Bayridge, Brooklyn (where the family had moved) and onward to Saint Xavier High School in New York City, where he graduated in 1934.

An Accountant And Attorney

While working for National Lead Company, He graduated from New York University School of Accounting and then from Fordham Law School with his Law Degree Class of 1947. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1951. This was all accomplished going to night classes. When his evenings were finally free, he applied himself diligently to The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn, and later in NYC when he moved there.

Retired In Setauket

Meanwhile his business career grew steadily until he became Treasurer and a Director of National Lead and after his years there joined The Pittston Company (to become The Brinks Company) as Comptroller. Upon retirement he moved out to Long Island where he and his wife, Margaret, had built their home. He then gave his services to a law firm in Port Jefferson as Counsel at Law and handled many of their Estate matters.

Helping The Church

Never missing a beat, the Bishop of Albany asked him to come up there and put their accounting system into modern language - which he did. He did such a good job that his friend, Bishop McGhan in Rockville Center asked his to do the same thing for their system - which he did.

Sixty Years Of Service To St. Vincent De Paul

Tom was always active in St. Vincent De Paul, which was very important to him. In all, he was active in SVDP for more than sixty years. As if he didn’t have enough to do, he was accepted into the Deaconite and was ordained in 1988 at the age of 72 and has been a dedicated Deacon ever since.

Saint James R.C. Church, in East Setauket, NY has been his “home” church since he and Margaret built their home here in the 1960’s.