Rosena Smith Owens

Mrs. Rosena Smith Owens, 57, of Lansing, Mich., died Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Born March 29, 1954, in Joiner, she was the sixth child of Dewitt and Essie Lee Smith of Blytheville.

She attended Harrison High School and graduated from Blytheville High School in 1971, and worked at Spartan Plastic in Lansing for several years. She was a devoted member of Bethlehem Temple Church in Lansing until she became ill. Rosena was a loving wife, mother, sister, and friend. She was a people person who loved having fun, dancing and telling jokes -- always the life of the party.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Anthony Eugene Owens, who lost his battle with cancer in December of 1996; her father, Dewitt Smith; a grandmother Elnora Corder; and sisters Elnora Smith, Lee Bertha Smith McClair, Annie Lee Smith Osborne, Archie Lee Smith and Essie Lee Smith.

Mrs. Owens leaves to grieve her mother, Essie Lee Smith of Blytheville;

One son, Anthony Dewayne (and Jamie) Owens Jr.;

One daughter, Tracy Levette Jean Owens;

Grandchildren Taj-Mack Owens, Dimitric Owens, Alexander Owens, Garrick Trayshawn Bradley, and Ayla Owens;

Aunts Hattie Mae Evans of Blytheville and Earlean Labus of Deltona;

Siblings Oneal (White) Jordan and Mary Ann Smith of Blytheville, Dora Mae Smith of Lansing, Dee Ceasar Smith Sr. of Lansing, Luella Smith (and Ebb) Cooper of Cincinnati, Timmy Lee Smith (and Tracy) of Blytheville, Hattie Mae Smith (and Robert) Malone of Lebanon, Sandra Ann (Smith) Webb of Valdosta, Alexander Witt Smith of Decatur, Sedrick Fair of Oklahoma, Sherry Lynn (Smith) Williams of Valdosta, Laverne Smith (and Louie) Crawford of Blytheville, and Raymond Webb Smith of Blytheville;

A host of close nieces, nephews, and cousins; and

Close friends, Doreatha O'Neal Roberts, Edna Graves, Lizzie Mae Mays, Nicie Anderson Northern, Virgie and Cathy Crenshaw, Beorge and Betty Caradine, Annette Graham, Rubystine Brown, Robert Lewis, Robin Hunt, Bob Chew (deceased), Dorothy Wright (deceased), Richard (Bird) Burton, Theresa Marvin of Tony's Liquor Store, and friends at Mario's Liquor Store.

We will mourn our beloved daughter, mother, sister, niece, cousin and friend forever.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Bread House, Bethlehem Temple Church in Lansing. The family will receive visitors from 6-9 p.m. today and from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday.