Richard Owens — Nan's Son, A Good Man

Richard Owens was the son of Nan Watkins Owens, Mary Elizabeth's sister. He grew up around the extended Watkins and Dutton families and appears in family photographs alongside his cousins Jerry and Michael Leonard Dutton.

Richard served in the U.S. Air Force for several years. By all accounts, he was a good man — well-liked by his family and remembered fondly.

But Richard was a smoker. He loved his cigarettes, and that addiction followed him throughout his life. In his later years, living in the vicinity of Abingdon, Virginia, Richard was on supplemental oxygen. Despite the danger, he found ways to sneak cigarettes while on oxygen.

The habit ultimately cost him his life. Michael Leonard Dutton remembers Richard well: "Richard was a good guy." His story serves as a reminder of how addiction can take even the best among us.