“Hey, Mister Owen” Chorus: Hey, Mister Owen; where are you goin’? Verse: Born a country lad; a rancher Mom and Dad Chorus Verse: Now Owen had a plan; he joined the Navy and Chorus Verse: The rest is history, but it’s a mystery Chorus Owen Bernard Murphy was born March 25, 1941 in Fort Pierre, South Dakota. He was the second youngest of five kids. He grew up in the Reliance and Vivian area. Owen remembers while growing up listening to radio programs like The Lone Ranger and Sky King with his family. Owen told us, “I used to watch that on the radio.” One of the biggest memories Owen has of his childhood is the Blizzard of ’52, there was so much snow and drifts that his father was only able to get to town twice just to get groceries from December until Easter! During that time Owen along with his brothers and father would have to make sure the cattle were taken care of and fed by driving them to the hay or different pastures. His mother taught him that spring along with a couple of other years at a country school. After country school, he attended Reliance High School. When Owen graduated high school he joined the navy, this was during the end of the cold war. He was even stationed in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Owen learned many things in the navy including diving, missile testing, and diesel mechanics. After he got out of the navy, he went to Northern State University, where he met coach Larry Luitjens! While at Northern he joined the rodeo team and would ride bulls, once a bull even stepped on his face! Eventually, Owen went to graduate school in Santa Clara, California. While taking statistics class one of Owen’s daughters was born and he got a “C” in the class, and with a smirk on his face said, “it was my daughters’ fault.” When we asked Owen what his dream job was, he replied by saying, “every job is my dream job.” He has worked numerous jobs, more than he could even list, some of his jobs included computer programing and formatting, working for the Department Of Transportation, the Navy, ranching, owning a trail ride company, and driving a bus for Custer sports teams. Owen loves driving bus for the Custer sports teams, and does it for the kids and really enjoys watching the games. Owen encourages people to work and do their best no matter what job they work. When Owen first got into computer programing, he remembered traveling a lot and had one of the first cell phones that was the size of a sewing machine and cost about $8,000! Today, Owen’s job is to be a grandparent and to spoil his grandkids. Owen has 7 children and they live in 6 different states, from Florida to California and multiple states in between. Owen and his wife, Lois who have been married for 52 years love traveling to see their kids and are “professional road trippers”! They travel about 12-15,000 miles a year in their R.V. and stay with family and friends across the country. They know people all over the country because Owen and his wife have lived in 36 states and Owen has traveled to 49 of the 50 states. The only one he has not been to is Hawaii. Owen left us with some advice. He said, “study hard, make friends, stay in school, but it doesn’t always mean school, just keep learning.” Some other quotes Owen said, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” “Never give an Irishman a microphone, he will think it’s a toy.”
Words and music by Leonard Running
with Mr. Parson’s 5th Grade Class
©2019 Leonard Running
Please tell us what do you see from your shiny RV today.
Hey Mister Owen; our future’s glowin’;
And we just cannot wait to make a world that’s as great
as you say, if we meet it half-way.
On a homestead south of Fort Pierre.
Owen loved the outdoors – a life of school and chores;
And his Mom was his teacher some years.
And they all lived through the storms of ’52
Oh, the snow was so extreme.
And he understood that his future could
be somewhere beyond his dreams.
Did some diving in the Northwest.
And then to learn a skill he used the GI Bill
To its educational best.
And though he was fine with his life’s design
And the things he could control;
He was most afraid when he asked to trade
A diamond ring for a Tootsie Roll.
How they came to live in our town.
But Owen’s seen enough of the big world and stuff
And it’s time that they settled down.
Also every year they pack up their gear
And they go visit their family and friends.
Owen says with pride that it’s a buggy ride
That he hopes will never end.