Jessie Johanna Owens

Jessie Johanna “Joanne” Skinner Burr Owens was born on November 22, 1932, to Silas Kirtland and Johanna Murray Skinner on the Skinner Ranch near Jordan Valley, Oregon. The beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-complexioned baby girl joined her sister Christine and brothers Bill, Bob, Kirt, Dan, and John. On that below-zero, snowy night, Dr. Jones was summoned by the hired man, and after delivering Joanne, he was invited to stay until morning. Joanne’s passion for teaching began long before her formal schooling. Her first-grade teacher, Virginia Fleming of Warrenton, Oregon, taught at the Cow Creek School and lived with the Skinner family. The two formed a deep and lasting bond. In fact, Miss Fleming affectionately called her “Shadow” because Joanne was rarely far from her side. Although Miss Fleming taught her only during her final year at District #69, their friendship endured for more than 77 years. From her first day walking into that one-room schoolhouse in the sagebrush, Joanne knew she wanted to be a teacher. After ten years in that little school, she enrolled at Caldwell High School and graduated in 1950. That fall, she attended the College of Idaho, majoring in Elementary Education. In September 1955, she began her teaching career at Cole School in Boise, Idaho, leading a first-grade classroom of 38 students. She later taught in Spray, Culver, Bend, and Sherwood, Oregon. Joanne met William Burr while in college, and they were married on July 22, 1956, on the front lawn of the Skinner Ranch home. The couple moved to Spray, Oregon, where they both taught school. Bill, a teacher and coach, passed away on August 22, 1963, following open-heart surgery. On September 3, 1966, Joanne married S. Duane Owens in Redmond, Oregon, and together they made their home in Bend. When Duane was hired at Portland Community College, the family moved to Lake Oswego in 1969. In 1971 they built their home in Sherwood, Oregon, where her five children later graduated from high school and went on to earn college degrees. Joanne taught second grade at Hopkins Elementary School for 24 years and was honored as the 1988-89 Certified Teacher of the Year. Under her leadership and commitment to staff and student well-being: physical, mental, and emotional, the Sherwood School District earned Oregon’s Wellness Team of the Year Award in 1990. Students flourished in her classroom, guided by her patience, consistency, high expectations, and her gift for recognizing potential in every child. Joanne also devoted 19 years to the Clackamas County 4-H Youth Development Program. With pride and joy, she supported her children and grandchildren in their many activities: athletics, coaching, education, 4-H, and more. She was always a constant, encouraging presence in the bleachers or audience. After retiring from classroom teaching, she continued to serve students for nine more years as the Career/Work Experience Coordinator at Sherwood High School. Joanne and Duane cherished traveling and spending time with family and loved ones. She devoted many years to preserving Skinner Ranch history, a labor of love that culminated in High Desert Promise: The Skinner Family Legacy, written by her brother John and woven into the early history of Southeastern Oregon and Southwestern Idaho beginning in 1863. Joanne held a profound love for her entire family and lived a life marked by integrity, compassion, and unwavering strength. Throughout her life, she carried with her the legacy of the Skinner Ranch Family: faith, a strong work ethic, a passion for learning, generous hospitality, a deep appreciation for life, and the enduring spirit of the high desert where she was raised. Joanne is survived by her husband of more than 59 years, Duane; four children, Andrea Waldrop (Doug), Billie Jo Burns (Paul), Alison Bertalotto (Jeff), and Wes Owens; grandchildren Carrie Sloan, Bill Waldrop, Brock Burns, Jake Bertalotto, Joseph Burns, Bailey Mitchell, and Jessica Whitney; great-grandchildren Alivia, Wyatt, Amie, Jena, Henry, Will, Callow, and Blake; and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son Martin Murray Owens; her parents, Silas Kirtland and Johanna Skinner; her sister Christine; and brothers Bill, Bob, Kirt, Dan, and John. Joanne’s life was defined by grace, steadfast love, and a gentle kindness that touched everyone she met. Her legacy lives on in the generations she taught, the family she adored, and the community she helped shape, quiet gifts that will echo for years to come. A memorial service will be held on November 22, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the Wilsonville Funeral Home. A graveside service will take place on November 24 at 11:00 a.m. at Canyon Hill Cemetery in Caldwell, Idaho, with a luncheon to follow. If you wish, contributions may be made in Joanne’s name to Sherwood United Methodist Church (22280 SW Washington St., Sherwood, OR 97140) or Oregon Historical Society (1200 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR. 97205). Arrangements by Wilsonville Funeral Home, Wilsonville, Oregon and Dakan Funeral Chapel, Caldwell, Idaho.

Jessie Johanna Owens

November 22, 1932 - November 11, 2025