Connie Owen-Jones was born in Saskatchewan, on a farm near Leross, on Halloween Eve. Following her elementary and secondary education, she graduated as a registered nurse from the Grey Nuns’ Hospital in Regina. Her career in nursing began in Melville and shortly after took her to a small hospital in Kent, England; to Tillsonberg, Ontario; and to Cleveland, Ohio. Connie earned a Radiological Technician designation and began working at the Cancer Clinic in Saskatoon as a Radiotherapy Technician. She had the privilege of being part of the staff in 1952 when the Cobalt Unit was installed in the Cancer Clinic.
She wore a periwinkle blue gown from Blanche Buchanan’s on her first dancing date, with Geoff. Geoff was born in England and came to Canada in 1923, settling in Vancouver, where he attended school and later worked for the Hudson Bay Company. He signed up with Canadian Pacific Investigation in 1940. When World War II broke out, he joined the Canadian Army. His army career was continued in peacetime with the Army Cadets of the North Saskatchewan Regiment. He also organized the #328 Medical Cadets. He retired from the army with the rank of Major. After the war, he resumed his former post with Canadian Pacific Investigation, transferring to Saskatoon as an investigator.
Connie and Geoff were married in Winnipeg on the sixth day of June, 1959. They continued to dance together in Saskatoon at such glamorous functions as the Shriners’ Ball, the Saskatoon Police Annual Ball, the Batoche Ball, the Blue & Gold Ball and the Trafalgar Ball.
Connie and Geoff shared a love of gardening and horticulture. Their vast yard in Montgomery Place was the envy of many a gardener. Visitors to their home didn’t leave without a bouquet of lovely flowers or an armful of prize winning vegetables. They won many prizes at the Saskatoon Horticultural Society shows, including the Lawrence Capling cup for vegetables and the 1975 Aggregate First Prize for the Province of Saskatchewan.
After Geoff’s passing, Connie traveled extensively through membership in the Elderhostel “Adventures in Lifelong Learning” to Greece, Egypt, Jerusalem, Israel, and to Tuktoyaktuk. She was a proud member of the Arctic Ocean Toe Dipping Club. Connie and Geoff consistently demonstrated a special affinity with children. Geoff was very involved with the Army Cadets in Saskatoon and Connie started Saskatoon’ s Junior Gardener’s Project through the Saskatoon Horticulture Society. Their volunteerism has touched the lives of hundreds of children in our community and this is why Connie decided to create the Geoff & Connie Owen-Jones Fund at the Saskatoon Community Foundation.
Grants from this fund will be awarded through the Youth Advisory Council, a council made up of youth 13-19 years old, of Saskatoon Community Foundation, focusing on charities serving children.