Owen Overton

Owen Sheldon Overton was born in Tampa, FL on June 6th, 1919.  He was a third generation Floridian, the first of three sons born to Ora Pass and Forrest Overton, Sr.  He was preceded in death by his parents, and both brothers, Forrest Overton Jr, and Robert Russell Overton.  Sheldon passed away in Tampa on February 10, 2013, just three months after his wife of 72 years, Evelyn, died on november 5th, 2012.  Survivors include his two daughters, Rhonda Anne Overton and Shelley June Overton; niece and nephew, Linda Overton and Russell Overton; and additional family.

Sheldon called Tampa his home all his life. While growing up in Seminole Heights, he worked alongside his father in his dad's automotive repair business.  In time, he could dismantle and put together again any vehicle on the road.  He excelled in school in all the areas of the fine arts: graphic (painting, drawing), foreign languages, and music.  He was a member of his high school orchestra, being proficient in piano, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, flute, and oboe.  By the time he graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1937, his academic and artistic skills were exceptional, which made his mother, a life-time schoolteacher, very proud.  Along with the intellect, Sheldon had what we call today "movie-star handsome" looks and stature. Any photo of him is a testament to this, yet he always remained, throughout life, a quiet, totally unpretentious, and easy-going man.

Sheldon also added to his interests physical fitness, frequently working out with barbells and practicing gymnastic maneuvers at his friend's garage-turned gym.  It was during this time that a neighborhood teenager and her sister wandered down to meet and watch Sheldon and his friends.  Her name was Evelyn Smith, and she and her sister would contribute to things by demonstrating the newest dance craze, the "jitterbug", to the guys.  One look at Evelyn, and Sheldon knew he'd met his life's companion.  He was crazy for her!  After dating for awhile, he asked Evelyn to marry him and at ages 21 and 17, they married on December 27, 1940 and settled down in Tampa.  Sheldon loved working with his hands, so he was able to get work at the naval shipyard at Port Tampa.  The pay was very good for those days, and he became a master sheetmetal welder.  But times and his life were about to change.

When the USA entered the World War, work at the shipyard geared up considerably, but in 1944, Sheldon was drafted as a 25 year old married man, to be sent for training in the army.  He was then shipped, by troop train, across America to California, where he and his fellow soldiers were then shipped to the war in the Philippines.  He served, by virtue of his automotive skills, as a staff sergeant of a motorpool, on the island of Leyte, where he worked on, and supervised the repair of automotive vehicles used in service; jeeps, armored vehicles, even amphibious vehicles.  Although his camp was in danger from the ousted Japanese forces, he survived and returned gratefully home in 1946.

While on his troop train to California, Sheldon fell deeply in love again; this time with the American West and it's stunning beauty.  When he returned home to Evelyn, he announced: 'There's something I want to show you', and so, from then on, at every opportunity, he and she took road trips for long lengths of time to the Rockies and all parts beyond.  When his first child, Rhonda, was 3 years old, he took his parents and his little family of 3 on a roadtrip of amazing proportion; they visited virtually every national monument and park in the states west of the Mississippi River, all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  The trips would often last six weeks.  Their second child, Shelley, was immediately included, as a baby, on further trips.  These sorts of vacations continued until 2002, when Evelyn and Sheldon were forced to give up their travels, due to health concerns.

Sheldon became intrigued by the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, after his wife enthusiastically embraced what was called the "truth" about the Creator and his plan for humanity.  She dedicated her life in baptism in 1956; Sheldon did the same, after much indepth study, in 1957.  Over the years, his zeal, faithfulness, and love for his God and his brothers led him to serve as an elder in the organization.  He continued earnestly serving until his health no longer permitted him to do so.

Early in his marriage, Sheldon was an avid horticulture enthusiast.  At one time, his yard was filled with exotic plants, trees, and flowers.  Later, he adopted a new hobby: gemology/lapidary.  He gathered raw materials on his trips out west, and obtained the machines that would permit him to cut these "rocks" into gorgeous precious gems.  He truly loved all beauty in nature.  His two girls smilingly remember those return vacations from out west, where they had to prop their feet on large boulders on the floorboards, all the way home!

Sheldon was a dedicated, loving, and nurturing husband and father.  His faith in the hope of the resurrection to life in a paradise earth carried him through the terrible difficulties this life can bring to us all.  We, his children, hope to see him, and our mother, again soon in a much happier place and time.  The pain of loss is tempered so much by the love of friends and family.  We love you and appreciate all your words of encouragement, and gestures of kindness.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses; 11730 North Ola Avenue, Tampa, FL 33612-4159.

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