Your
tributes to Sid Owen
Farmer Sidney Owen, 79, who had lived
in New Costessey for most of his life, died after his farmhouse
in Hall Drive, just off Longwater Lane, caught fire.
Son Stephen Owen said his father was well
known and well liked around the village as many people remembered
him as owner of Longwater Lane Hardware Store in the 1960s.
Son's
tribute
To pay tribute to Sid, e-mail eveningnews@archant.co.uk
Myself & many other who has lived in costessey
throughout 70's,80's would mainly remember Sid & his
dedicated wife Betty Owen for their sweet shop/newsagents
on Longwater lane now the cafe.
Mr & Mrs Owen shop was great part of village
life & a asset for convience to costessey during the
70's & 80's such as opening up on sunday mornings a
very rare seen in village communities during that period,late
to close,& some of my own favourite memories shared
by 1000s of other school children stopping off on the way
home from Saint Augustines School to spend the rest of there
dinner money buying sweets.
Mrs Owen was always pleased to see the children
& knew most of them. They lived in the bunglow connected
to the shop with there son & after the shop had closed
at the end of everyday, the whole family became smallholding
farmers/caretaker/gamekeeper to the animals & the land
which ran along the lane going up Hall Drive.
The Owen Family Sid,Betty, & Son Steve,
have been personnaly great friends of the family & tremendious
help to my own family & lots of others around costessey,
Sid's devoted wife Betty died in the 1990's & now Sid
at rest now & shall be personnaly missed by many.
In my & my family's eyes Sid was to those
who knew him well enough a kind,helpful,easygoing character
to which material wealth had no meaning and would try and
help those who understood him and his worthy morals.
Both Sid & Betty(already deeply missed
by many) will be missed as valued members of the village
Costessey.
Sadly to be missed by the Bramwell
Family & wish their son Steve & grandchildren, strength
& future happiness.
During the 70's my friend Michelle kept her
horse on Sid's land at Longwater Lane and together we spent
some of the best of our childhood days there, sometimes
accompanied by Tracey (Fritz). I never had my own horse
but owing to Sid's generous nature I had the choice of any
horse he owned to ride at my leisure.
We would be there from early morning until it was dark and
Sid would allow us to do what ever we liked.
Sometimes he took us to gymkanas at Felthorpe and even allowed
me to take his horses there by road on my own, I still have
the rosettes that I won.
I remember trips to Billingford to see other horses he owned
and remember him letting me choose one to bring back, I
remember feeding the pigs, the peacocks that would scare
the life out of us in the dark and Sid laughing because
I was scared of birds, Betty feeding the geese and long
hot summer days riding Duke, Spider and Bessie.
Hall Lane was a lovely place to be, secluded and peaceful
and we many adventures on horse back in those fields.
When I saw the picture of the fire damaged building I knew
where it was, I had no idea that Sid was still alive some
thirty years on.
I'm sure that like myself Michelle holds many childhood
memories of Sid, Betty and our days spent at Hall Lane.
Thanks Sid, Helen & Michelle
Having lived in Costessey most of my life,
I met Mr Owen many years ago when he had the shop. Him and
his wife, Betty, worked many hours to make it work. After
the shop shut I started to visit him down his farm where
he was always ready to offer advice and would often show
a way to do a job I couldn't do. He was a very generous
man and nothing was never too much trouble. He used to love
going to farm sales and sometimes I would go with my lorry
and pick things up for him and the, sometimes for a couple
of hours, when we got back he would tell me of his intentions
and show me how to do it. He was a great character and will
be sadly missed.
Andy Cox