Owen Adams

Owen Byrd Adams, age 92, of Fort Walton Beach, FL and formerly of Artesia, MS, passed away July 7, 2020 at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation of  Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Funeral services will be held at Artesia United Methodist Church with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. and service following at 11:30 a.m.  Reverend Stacy Douglas, Reverend Gene Merkyl, and Reverend Dural Ragsdale will officiate.  The interment will follow at Memorial Gardens of Columbus, MS.

Mr. Adams was born December 12, 1927 in Meridian, MS to the late Willam Lee Adams and Jessie Byrd Adams Cook.  He attended Artesia High School and served in the United States Navy.   Owen followed in his father's footsteps and was a railroad man through and through.   He worked as telegraph operator, clerk, and train dispatcher, during his 42 years with the Gulf Mobile and Ohio Railroad which later became the Illinois  Central Gulf Railroad.  He retired in 1989.  He was a lifelong member of Artesia United Methodist Church where he and his wife, Dale, were married and brought up their children.  He sang in the choir and served on many church committees through the years.  He served as church lay leader and as Sunday School Superintendent, worked with a prison ministry at Parchman and attended the Walk to Emmaus.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Joyner Dale Sykes Adams, his brother, William Adams and his grandson, Michael Meredith.

Survivors include his son, Scott Adams and his wife, Susan, of Columbus, MS,  Denise Adams Ragsdale and her husband, Dural "Raggy", of Vicksburg, MS,  and Diane Adams Meredith and her husband, Don, of Navarre, FL, grandchildren Kimberly Ragsdale Watson and her husband, Ben, Chance Ragsdale and Kaitlyn Ashley, Adam Meredith, Scott Meredith, granddaughters-in-law Hope Meredith,  Jennifer Jennings and Lacey Miller, great granddaughters, Braedyn Meredith, Taylor Meredith, Ashlynn Meredith and Emory Jennings.

Pallbearers will be Chance Ragsdale, Scott Meredith, Gerry Gentry, David Langford, Daryl Pritchard, Newton Guerry and Paul Guerry.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to the Artesia United Methodist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 188, Artesia, MS  39736.