Bernice Gates-Owens

OWENS, Mrs. Bernice - Age 73, passed away Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at her residence. Family hour 10 a.m. Saturday, December 3, 2011 at Bethlehem Temple of the Apostolic Faith, 3401 M.L. King Ave., with funeral service commencing at 11 a.m. District Eld. Phillip J. Thompson officiating. Interment River Rest Cemetery, G-4413 Flushing Rd. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10 a.m. Saturday. Mrs. Owens will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed from 12Noon-8 p.m. Mrs. Bernice Lovell Gates - Owenswas “born into time” January 24, 1938 in the small town of LaGrange, GA to the Christian lineage of Elder Jimmie and Ida Mae Gates. She was the eldest of 4 children. In search for better economic advantages the family relocated to Flint, MI. Bernice was the only child at that time. Her early formal training was at Dewey Elementary, Emerson Junior High and Northern High School. One of her passions has always been reading, therefore she continued to educate herself in many areas throughout her life. Church records indicate that she was baptized and filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost in November of 1951. Her parents being new to holiness also taught their daughter this new lifestyle and they all grew under the teachings of the late Bishop Frank R. Bowdan, Dist. Elder B.T. Scott and Dist. Elder Jerry T. Lewis. Bernice married Leslie Owens, Jr., April 19, 1958 and to this union, six children were born. Leslie was an only child and loved the pitter patter of the little feet. Leslie wanted her to be a homemaker and she was for many years. He worked two jobs at times to provide for his thriving family and eventually achieved the status of supervisor at General Motors in an effort to financially meet all their needs. Eventually Bernice did work outside of the home. One of her jobs was for The Genesee County Detention Center, she also worked for Dr. James Hawkins one of the first African American doctors in Flint. She worked at Robert Hall, a retail store on Clio Road for a short time and after the children grew older she became the Church Clerk for Bethlehem Temple under Dist. Elder Jerry T. Lewis’ administration. Sister Owens worked faithfully in the church as a young woman and mother as did her husband. They both enjoyed God’s house and nurtured the children in holiness. One of the long time positions she held was Director of the Senior Choir. Many notables tutored and sang in the Senior Choir over the years. Sister Bernice was also the Dining Room Supervisor for many years; therefore all social activities at the church fell under her jurisdiction. During that time she had groomed many young people in appropriate etiquette, grooming, and temperament necessary for successful events. Many have returned and thanked her for the lessons they had learned while under her tutelage. Bernice had a passion for arts and crafts which inspired her to create her own business “Beautiful Accents.” She was often called upon to create floral arrangements for many occasions at the church. One of her last floral projects included supplying flowers that many adorned on Pentecost Sunday of 2010. Bernice loved and enjoyed beautiful things, never to the point that she was possessed by them; but God did bless her to be a recipient of natural as well as spiritual gifts. She was known for her wit, sense of humor, and ability to make friends easily; A truly well-rounded child of God. After a short illness, Sis. Owens fell asleep in Jesus and so it is we bow our hearts in humble submission to the will of Almighty God Sis. Bernice Owens exchanged time for eternity and was “born into eternity,”November 23, 2011 at 11:09 am to receive the crown of life made for her since the foundation of the world... Sis. Bernice Lovell Gates-Owens leaves to cherish her memory 6 children, 3 daughters and 3 sons, Karen Flowers, Craig Owens, Kym (Eddie) Lucas, Camille Owens (affectionately known as Val), Kevin Owens, and Kerry Owens (affectionately known as Keshawn); 4 grandchildren, Shamonica Owens, D’nae Owens, A’Leslie Lucas and A’Leah Lucas; great-grandchild, Dejuann Jones Jr.; sister, Mary (Dorcenia, Jr.) Brazle of Mt. Morris, MI; brother, Terry (Glenna) Gates of Flint; stepmother, Mildred Ashford-Gates; aunt, Mrs. Lois (Oscar) Beason of Dayton, OH; uncle, Mr. James (Lela) Boddie of Flint; many nieces, nephews, cousins, including special cousin, Doris James of Flint; extended families; R. B. Smith, Dennis (Dorothy) Smith, Julian Green, Pastor Kenneth Brown, Sr., and Sharon Matthews, Boddie, Beason, Campbell, Gates, Johnson, Washington, Collins, Byrd, Kilgore, Rosborough, Webb, Releford, Chatham Drive neighbors, Ren-Bods across the United States, family and friends. The family would like to express special thanks to the Hurley Medical Center 9th floor staff, McLaren Home Hospice, Janisha Claxton, Dionysus Petty, Drs. Ahmed Arif, Rizwan Danish, and Jay Nayak, District Elder Phillip Thompson, First Lady April Thompson and the Bethlehem Temple Church family, along with Bethel Apostolic, Southeast Christian, Pentecostal Temple, Greater Emmanuel Temple, Christ the Rock Apostolic, Secret Place Tabernacle, Our Savior Apostolic, Cathedral of Faith C.O.G.I.C. and Northwest Christian churches.

Bernice Gates-Owens

January 24, 1938 - November 23, 2011