Owen B. Mckenzie

Milan, Illinois Owen B. McKenzie, 84, of Milan, flew his last mission on Wednesday, February 2, 2005. Services are 10 a.m. Friday at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, Coal Valley. Burial is in National Cemetery on the Rock Island Arsenal. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Coal Valley. The Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the church or Alleman High School. Owen Burton McKenzie was born January 7, 1921, in Longwood, Wisconsin, the son of Charles Everet and Isabelle (Phelps) McKenzie. He graduated from East Moline High School and Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Chicago. He served in the Army Air Corps Eighth Air Force's 487th Bomb Group in the European Theater during WW II. From July to November, 1944, he flew 34 successful missions on a B-17G Flying Fortress, earning him recognition by citation as a member of "The Lucky Bastard Club." He married Eileen Hermes on June 23, 1945, in Rapids City, Illinois. Owen was property manager for Oak Glen Home, Coal Valley, for 15 years; commercial property manager for Lee Enterprises, Davenport, for 15 years, and retired from the Rock Island Water Department in 1985. He was past commander of the Coal Valley American Legion, a co-founder of the Sherrard V.F.W. and helped organize the American Legion Polio Clinic in the late 1950s. He enjoyed golf, bowling, woodworking, traveling, the outdoors, and was an inventor and ‘Mr. Fix-it.' Owen is survived by his wife, Eileen; four children and spouses, Jenifer McKenzie of Palatine, Illinois, Michelle McKenzie of Rock Island, Molly McKenzie and Thomas Holbrook of Belleville, Illinois, and Thomas and Judy McKenzie of Irving, Texas; daughter-in-law, Christine McKenzie, East Moline; four grandchildren, Katie and Jared Montgomery of Davenport, Betsy and Shane Harper, Andy McKenzie, and Peter McKenzie, all of East Moline; one great-granddaughter, McKenzie Harper of East Moline; and a sister, Helen Imig of The Dalles, Oregon. He was preceded in death by a son, Gregory McKenzie, four brothers and three sisters. "While his time with us was finite, his legacy is boundless." Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com. END OF OBITUARY