Gregory Jackson Owens

Gregory Jackson Owens, a lifetime resident of Northport, WA, passed away peacefully on August 28, 2025 surrounded by his loving family.

Gregory “Greg” was born to Helen Pakonen (Owens) Herbert Doerre on February 8, 1946 in San Diego, Calif. They moved to Washington when he was just six months old. He was raised by his mother and step father, Bob LeCaire with his siblings, Sandra Materson (LeCaire) and Gordy LeCaire.

Greg married Dianna “Dena” Reickers (Owens) on February 1, 1965 in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho after knowing one another for many years. They had two daughters together, Donna and Kimberly (Kim).

Greg was a miner in Idaho before his first daughter Donna was born. He went to work for McNamee Logging, driving a log truck for 22 years while also having poles for Expo 74 in Spokane, Wash. One of his favorite stories to tell was how he hauled a 135-foot pole over 100 miles to the mill, then when someone else went to transfer the pole for the center post for a pavilion, they did not make it a block before they snapped the pole. To which it had to be used for a flagpole instead.

As a teenager, Greg loved racing in Northport, where he lied about his age so that he could drive the car that he built with Jerry Lotze, Dale Snyder, and brother, Gordy LeCaire. They celebrated every win and loss on the track.

As Greg settled down with a family, he found a love for woodworking and built many homes around the Northport and Colville area, not only for his family but for other families as well. He was always the first person to pick up a hammer and nail to help someone finish their home.

Greg raised cattle with Dena and their children, building fences and checking cows, after full work days driving trucks. After he retired, he loved to take his family to Alaska and to the ocean to fish in the summer months. He always said “Everyone needs to see the ocean,” and he was more than happy to be the one to show them his favorite spots.

Greg and Dena would travel to Arizona in the winter where they enjoyed exploring the desert, picking crystals, and meeting new people while they shopped street booths together, hand picking gifts for their children and grandchildren to surprise them when they traveled back home in the Spring.

Greg had a love for wildlife, and wildlife was fond of him as well. People were amazed at how the deer would walk up to him so comfortably. Many times in his Northport home, deer brought their fawns to lay in his yard while he was outside.

He also spent as much time as he could cutting firewood. He always said that he would have enough firewood to make sure his family would be warm in the winter if something were to happen to him. When it was too hot to cut firewood in the summer heat, you would find him berry picking and taking his family and grandchildren exploring the woods. Greg was the best man that his family could have asked for.

In the fall, Greg would take any chance he had to go elk hunting with his family and grandchildren. Along the way, he would pull out his green camera and take pictures of them underneath the scarred trees where bears had scratched the bark racing to the top. Then, he would print the pictures out for his den.

Spending time with family was his happiest time, he loved taking videos and pictures and documenting memories of his family so that on holidays, they could sit and reminisce together.

Greg spent many hours teaching his kids and grandkids how to drive a manual pickup, along with sharing knowledge on many topics that he picked up along the way. He taught them a new life skill any chance that he got.

Gregory is preceded in death by his parents, Helen Pakonen (Owens) and Herbert Doerre, his step father, Bob LeCaire, mother in law, Helen McNameeand her husband, Larry, father in law, Adrian “Alva” Reickers, brother in law, Greg Masterson, Brother in law, Delbert Reickers and his wife, Cozy, Denny Rae McNamee, Son in law Rod McCann, Uncle Art Pakonen and his wife Magret, step brother in law, Patrick Connell and his wife Terese, and step sister in law, Joy Connell.

Greg was survived by his wife, Dianna “Dena” Owens, daughters, Donna Jensen and Kimberley McCann Owens, grandson, Chayce Owens (Khiana), granddaughters, Jenelle Nestor (Zyran), Blair Jensen, three great grandchildren, Abigail, Barrett and Kasey, sister Sandra Masterson, brother Gordy LeCaire (Pam), sister-in-law Stacey McNameeand numerous nieces and nephews.

Beautiful service flowers were donated by Braden and Samantha Bundy.