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2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu

17 Jan 24 - 08:03 PM (#4195655)
Subject: Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Amergin

Hey everyone.

We lost another one. Gary's nephew posted on his facebook page to let us know that he passed away.

17 Jan 24 - 08:04 PM (#4195656)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Amergin

There's no obit published yet, but I'll include it here when they post it.

17 Jan 24 - 08:05 PM (#4195657)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Amergin

From his page:

"Good Evening Everyone, My name is Ian and I am Gary's Nephew. On Monday January 15th Gary passed away after a brief sickness. In the coming weeks I will be turning this account off and not placing it in Memorial. I thought i would post here as place that everyone could share a story. Once the Obituary (working on it ) is published i will share it here. Thank you Ian Owens"

17 Jan 24 - 08:08 PM (#4195658)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Rapparee

Aw, AW SHIT!

17 Jan 24 - 08:10 PM (#4195659)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Amergin

Rap, that's exactly what I said when his nephew posted. Gary was a good guy.

17 Jan 24 - 09:00 PM (#4195661)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,BEER (Adrien )

A character for sure. Stayed at his home on one of my trips East Canada. Met him here years ago and always stayed in touch. Mudcat will miss him. Rest in peace buddy.

17 Jan 24 - 09:00 PM (#4195662)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

I heard from his nephew on Monday that he was in palliative care. Gary was posting on FB last week, so whatever it is that carried him off took him very quickly, and I am hopeful that it was a peaceful and painless death. I asked Ian to give him my love, and I hope Gary could register that.

17 Jan 24 - 09:37 PM (#4195663)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Severn

Jan notified me as someone gnu talked about often we corresponded for years, and over the years, I had sent him music, movies and such. He would send me clips of music, silent comedy football etc. His loss hurts as he will be sorely missed by myself and his other friends.His prescence and sense of jump made him one of the most enduring and beloved posters on Mudcat and Facebook, for that matter. Off the people I talk with online and that I never got to meet, he ranks at the top.

Rest in peace, my friend.

17 Jan 24 - 10:14 PM (#4195666)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Megan L

Good bye dear friend

17 Jan 24 - 10:24 PM (#4195667)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST

Darn. I enjoyed him.

17 Jan 24 - 10:36 PM (#4195668)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Janie

Ahhh, Gnu. You crusty, funny, curmudgeonly, lovely old soul.

Along with many others, I will miss you. May you rest in peace.

17 Jan 24 - 10:55 PM (#4195671)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: JennieG

We will miss you, Gnu. Go well.

18 Jan 24 - 12:30 AM (#4195680)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Sandra in Sydney

a good bloke

18 Jan 24 - 12:32 AM (#4195681)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Joe Offer

We're gonna miss him. He was an important part of the life of our community. Rest in peace, gnu.

-Joe-

18 Jan 24 - 01:35 AM (#4195684)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Little Hawk

Dang! I've been away on Facebook for a few years now, and I just heard about this on that site. Another grizzled veteran of Mudcat has moved on to the Great Beyond. I'll miss him! Condolences to his family and friends from George in Ontario and Chongo in Chicago.

- LH

18 Jan 24 - 02:44 AM (#4195690)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Dave the Gnome

Bugger! :-( He was one of the good 'uns. Condolences to his loved ones

18 Jan 24 - 02:47 AM (#4195691)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Backwoodsman

One of the Mudcat Greats. Very sad. Condolences to Gary’s family and friends.

18 Jan 24 - 03:44 AM (#4195695)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,Freda Underhill

I’m very sad he’s gone. He was intelligent and quirky. Goodbye, gnu.

18 Jan 24 - 04:11 AM (#4195698)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: John MacKenzie

We shared chats and PM's over many years and I will miss him. Many of you may not know that he spent several years caring for his old mum who lived nearby and I always admired his adherence to his filial duties, we should all have children like that to care for us in our old age. Journey on Gary, I'm sure you'll be rewarded in the next life.

18 Jan 24 - 05:37 AM (#4195701)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,Mbslynne

Oh no, that's sad.

18 Jan 24 - 06:53 AM (#4195703)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Ernest

Sad news indeed. We chatted together for a while in Johns private chatroom a few years ago (I remember him telling me that he was born in Saarbruecken - just a few 100 kms away from me - and also some funny story about a swan). Caring for his mum will surely be rewarded (although I presume he didn`t see it as such a burden).

Rest in peace, Gary.

Condolences to his family and friends.

18 Jan 24 - 07:05 AM (#4195704)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: VirginiaTam

GNU in Discworld (Going Postal, The Clacks coding)
“G” means that the message must be passed on, “N” means “not logged”, and “U” means the message should be turned around at the end of a line. (This was also a realworld tech joke: GNU is a free operating system, and its name stands, with recursive geek humour, for “GNU’s not Unix”.) The code causes [the person's name] to be repeated indefinitely throughout the system, because: “A man is not dead while his name is still spoken.”

GNU Gary Owens (aka Gnu)

18 Jan 24 - 09:59 AM (#4195705)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Bill D

He once said to me.. "You're one of the good guys."...which, coming from Gary is a high compliment. We corresponded for so many years as he told many tales of his engineering days.
   I could type for an hour, but I'll just say:

G'night Gnu

18 Jan 24 - 10:42 AM (#4195707)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

gnu's logged on posts and Guest, gnu posts.

He talked a lot about caring for his mother (she lived next door) and he had a huge dog that used to feature in some of his stories. I was looking for the photo last night, it stood nearly as tall as he when on its back legs. He was in Facebook jail a several times because he spoke truth to idiots and the algorithms misunderstood (I'm guessing) idiomatic phrases.

He loved it that time Amos arrived for a visit on one of his long long drives around North America.

Lots of stories.

18 Jan 24 - 11:30 AM (#4195717)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

P.S. if any of you chatted with Gary using Messenger accounts (he didn't have the app in a phone but used the FB feature on his laptop) you might want to download and save the content. Ian isn't going to memorialize his FB account so messages *might* also go away when it's shut down. The best way to do that is to use a computer, open messenger in a browser, select the whole thing and paste it into a Word or Text document. It will be long, but you'll have it. (We had a heads up today about Google deleting YouTube videos uploaded from dormant Gmail accounts - so if he posted videos you might want to find and download those also. The email account will go away after a couple of years with disuse.)

18 Jan 24 - 11:39 AM (#4195718)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,ChanteyLass

Oh, this is depressing. I haven’t been on Mudcat for several years, but I have fond memories of this site, gnu, and many others.

18 Jan 24 - 03:46 PM (#4195729)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Dave the Gnome

VT, you reminded me of the joke that Gary loved.

What noise does a gnu make?

Bnag!

19 Jan 24 - 12:58 AM (#4195738)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: ragdall

Very sad to learn of Gary's passing. Used to visit with Gnu on a chat a few years back.
RIP GNU!
rags

19 Jan 24 - 09:55 AM (#4195765)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,paperback

Damn, so gnu finally made it above the line. Sorry gnu.

19 Jan 24 - 10:25 AM (#4195776)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

Here's part of Gary's account of when Amos came to visit.

And in irreverent remark about what to put on his gravestone.

I've looked through his posts and pushed a couple of his musical and folklore topics to the top, as a nice reminder of his interests.

19 Jan 24 - 10:51 AM (#4195781)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Waddon Pete

Gnu was a special member of Mudcat and he will be missed for his pithy posts and contributions to our forum. I will, of course, be adding his name to the "In Memoriam" thread, albeit with a heavy heart. I also send my condolences to all those who know and love him. Rest well Gnu.

19 Jan 24 - 08:40 PM (#4195828)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,Bat Goddess

Gutted. I, too, will miss being tagged at Facebook with humor he KNEW I’d enjoy. We knew each other through Mudcat and Facebook and only spoke on the phone once — in a long, wonderfully rambling late-night conversation about Life, the Universe, Everything.

He will most definitely be missed. Glad he was part of my life.

Good bye, old friend.

Linn

19 Jan 24 - 09:40 PM (#4195830)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Severn

One of my favorite catters of all time. We corresponded in Mudcat, Facebook and through the postal service about humor, football, silent comedy films and more. His passing leaves a hole in most all our lives, as he touched the lives of most of us.

Alas, though, I never got to meet him, a major regret.

Rest in peace, old friend.

20 Jan 24 - 12:15 PM (#4195856)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Nigel Parsons

We regularly reposted each other's stuff on Facebook. Never a harsh word

R.I.P. Gnu

"GNU" Gnu.

Goodnight, God Bless

21 Jan 24 - 10:09 PM (#4195914)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Rapparee

I have no idea how to get him the Pete Seeger postage stamps I promised him.

22 Jan 24 - 10:23 PM (#4195982)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Mrrzy

Aw, so sorry. I missed this till news got to the Tavern.

24 Jan 24 - 05:18 PM (#4196052)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

Gary's nephew has posted a link to his obituary on his Facebook account.

In Loving Memory of Gary Owens 1957 - 2024

24 Jan 24 - 07:03 PM (#4196068)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: keberoxu

That's a beautiful obituary. Thanks for the link.

24 Jan 24 - 09:20 PM (#4196084)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Rapparee

Well, I've been missing him nine days now.

24 Jan 24 - 09:57 PM (#4196088)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

I'll post the whole thing here in case the online site goes away after a while:

Gary John Owens, Peng, BSc Eng, MSc Eng
1957-2024

It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the passing of Gary John Owens of Moncton NB Canada. Gary passed away quietly on Monday evening Jan 15, 2024 at the Moncton Hospital after a very brief illness. He was flanked by his nephew Ian, cousin Charlie Jr. and Ian’s wife Tracy who kept vigil at his side during his brief stay in palliative care. With the luck of the Irish, Gary managed to receive his final Catholic Sacrament, "Last Rights" (sacrament of the sick) from Father Angus before passing quietly.

Gary was born Zweibrucken West Germany on March 7 in 1957 just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day. With a shock of Foxy Red Curly Hair and Big Blue eyes like 2 Moons, and more freckles than you can count, Gary was a cute wee little fella. Gary was extremely intelligent and was very gifted academically. After moving to Canada and eventually settling back in the Owens heartland in Moncton New Brunswick, Gary attended and graduated with high honors from Harrison Trible High School.

Gary went on to attend the University of New Brunswick, where he first earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and then a Master of Science in Engineering in Air Transportation in 1983. Gary started his career with Transport Canada, principally in Airport Engineering working on airport and runway construction which he enjoyed very much. He later took a position with Marine Atlantic where he managed many construction projects for wharves, piers, and docks. Gary later became a successful consultant engineer on many projects in New-Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador. He eventually started a successful Home Inspection business in Moncton. He was also a proud career-long member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geo-Scientists of NB (APEGNB).

Gary was a very kind and caring son and took great care of his mother. He was a fiercely loyal and dear friend to very many people. Although he could be known to be a wee bit feisty and sometimes a tiny bit cranky, he had a wonderful sense of humour, and at his core, he was very tender-hearted. He loved his family dearly and was not afraid to speak frankly with them and offer well-intentioned tough truths, advice, and wisdom, even if it wasn’t solicited.

Gary dearly loved New Brunswick and its wilderness and especially Kent County/Salmon River, the Mirimachi and Renous Rivers and Albert County. Gary loved hunting Birch Partridge and sometimes even Spruce-Partridge and Rabbits along with Moose and white-tailed deer. He also loved trout fishing by fording his way up little wee brooks like his ancestors and Salmon Fishing on New Brunswick’s majestic rivers. Gary loved Atlantic Canada in general but especially loved Newfoundland and Labrador and had an affinity for its people.

Gary was also a motorbike fan and rode a street bike in his youth and later loved driving his 3 and 4 wheelers deep in the woods with his buddies and cousins. He also loved watching Boxing and was extremely proud of his Dad whose fighting name was "Billy the Kid Owens" aka "Billy K.O." who won several Maritime Tournament Championships in the 1930s. He also liked hockey and eventually grew to love Football, especially the New England Patriots who sent him a wonderful massive authentic autographed jersey that draped him like a toddler.

Gary was branded with the nickname GNU, by his cousins Jimmy, Charlie, Johny and Rodney Owens in reference to the 1980s Canadian kids T.V. show "Gary-Gnu with the Gnu-Gnews". Gary took the name in stride and eventually learned to like it, a testament to his humour and character. Gary Owens especially loved spending time with his friends, and cousins deep in the woods and in his later years with innumerable online friends as he became less mobile.

He was also a talented musician and could play the Irish Bodhran drum as well as any man. He could keep wonderful rhythm to Irish reels and Jigs played by his cousins Jimmy on fiddle and Charlie on Guitar. Gary loved Irish music, especially the fiddle and Irish ballads by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers along with Canadian Maritime Celtic music. His favourite Irish Tune Was "Gary Owen’s Army" sung by many Irish Troop’s and adopted by the US Cavalry by Col. Custer. His favourite lullaby was "Clan Owens’ Wild Banshee" aka "Castle of Dromore" and "October Winds". His favourite Limerick was "Dick D’Arby" sung by Tommy Makem. His favourite Rebel tune was "The Risin O’ the Moon" sung by Tommy Makem and The Clancy Brothers".

Gary was also an avid storyteller and writer and never let a few facts get in the way of a good yarn. Rather, he crafted his tales around carefully chosen facts, a skill he learned well from his Aunt Annabelle Owens. It was little known that Gary was a registered Joke writer, some of which, were reportedly sold to famous comedians including Rodney Dangerfield and possibly George Carlin. In his later years, he was working on manuscripts to document tall tales. He was also writing out ancient knowledge of nature passed down from his Irish Immigrant Lumbermen ancestors and Mi’Mac Natives they lived amongst in New Brunswick.

In Gary’s later years, Ian and his wife Tracy took great care of their uncle Gary, and each had the patience of Job in helping Gary through his tough health struggles. Gary will especially be missed by his longtime close buddy Rock and his son Andre Turpin and Gary’s neighbours of 50+ years George and Linda Hayward. Gary’s innumerable online friends in various forums will also undoubtedly miss his wit and humour, especially the online "Mudcats". Gary will be sadly missed by his nephew Ian and his family as well as his many surviving cousins, especially Jimmy, Charlie and Johny Owens.

It is requested that you pray for the repose of the soul of Gary Owens and all his deceased relatives and friends so that he may be welcomed up in heaven. Special Thanks to the Moncton Hospital Nurses for all their saintly Patience and kindness. There will not be a formal funeral or wake as per Gary’s request.

29 Jan 24 - 08:19 PM (#4196364)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Neil D

I didn't know him as well as many here, but he had kind words for me when I went through my cancer ordeal back in 2008-9. RIP Gnu.

31 Jan 24 - 01:55 PM (#4196450)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Janie

Thanks for posting the obit.

03 Feb 24 - 08:53 AM (#4196593)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,Guest olddude

We would text every day. I will miss his humor and his stories about fishing. Very sad news . I wondered why his messages stopped

03 Feb 24 - 11:45 AM (#4196602)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

Good to see you here, Dan. Yes, we're all feeling a bit of a message vacuum with his passing. Lately he'd been asking and I'd been posting the full text of US news stories for him because of the news blockage thing.

03 Feb 24 - 07:15 PM (#4196629)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,Guest olddude

He was a good friend to many of us. I will miss my buddy. Always wanted to hear about my Alaska hunting and fishing.

05 Mar 24 - 11:34 PM (#4198605)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,freda underhill

I’m another fan of Gnu - a lovely, talented, intelligent man and great company, as Jennyo and I discovered via the famous Mudcat Chatroom. I too have shifted to Facebook and kept on contact with him there. I share the sadness and admiration for him, and am glad there is a fitting Mudcat memorial to him via this thread and the links to his quirky humour.

06 Mar 24 - 06:16 PM (#4198654)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,paperback

You came for this song so it is proper to hear it one last time
GarryOwen - Original Lyrics~7th Cavalry Regimental March



Requiescat In Pace Gary Owen

07 Mar 24 - 04:01 AM (#4198669)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: John MacKenzie

Today would have been Gnu's 77th birthday. Fondly remembered, G.

07 Mar 24 - 10:50 AM (#4198681)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

I'm guessing that's a typo, John. He would have been 67.

08 Mar 24 - 04:53 AM (#4198750)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: John MacKenzie

It was a typo but according to FB it should have been 74,anyway no matter as long as he's remembered.

08 Mar 24 - 07:21 AM (#4198756)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,paperback

Joe Biden is building port Garryowen in Gaza

Raise a glass of Molson to Gary Owen. Legend

08 Mar 24 - 11:33 AM (#4198772)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

Yes - our engineer friend would have enjoyed that news.

02 May 24 - 09:42 PM (#4201951)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,SINSULL

Watching late-nite TV and came across a Lorcan Otway story about his father's speak easy in lower Manhattan. It led here to news of gnu's passing. Tears for an old friend and pure joy at knowing him.

02 May 24 - 10:33 PM (#4201952)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Stilly River Sage

Lorcan lost the theater - the story is linked on his Facebook page (he's working on a new place upstate now).

Many of us have less robust remarks coming up on our Facebook page with Gary's passing.

Good to see you here, Sins, even for the sad reason.

05 May 24 - 11:14 PM (#4202110)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,Guest olddude

I miss his emails so much, we talked hunting and fishing every day. I miss my buddy

06 May 24 - 02:28 PM (#4202170)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: John MacKenzie

Yes I miss his jokes his forwarded YouTube links, and is gnomish remarks. He used to post links to comedy shows, at one time it was often The Red and Green show which I never really understood the humour of. Aye he was obviously in touch with so many of us, no wonder he is missed.

08 May 24 - 09:36 AM (#4202238)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST

fact4We kept in constant touch over the years, talking football (Patriots and Commanders), music, mutual friends,Buster Keaton silent comedies,and endless streams of humor.He is greatly missed. I regret not having never met him in person.

Severn

10 May 24 - 12:52 PM (#4202324)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: Charley Noble

I certainly will miss this fine fella.

11 May 24 - 11:27 AM (#4202370)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST,paperback

The bogtrotter could swear like no other

13 May 24 - 04:39 PM (#4202465)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: GUEST

Good Journey my friend, this is the path we all go. R. I. P

14 May 24 - 05:39 AM (#4202495)
Subject: RE: 2024 Obit: Gary Owens aka Gnu
From: skarpi

That last message was from me.
All the best Skarpi Iceland