Our sympathy to the family and friends of Ray Owens, who worked with many of us in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He died last Thursday of a heart attack in Oregon, where he had recently moved. He was 48. His obituary follows…

Ramón Mena Owens
Nov. 3, 1960-May 21, 2009

Ramón Mena Owens passed away May 21, 2009, of a heart attack. His friends and family are shocked and saddened and trying to find a way to smile through this grief, knowing he is at peace… and that Ramón was always so loving and happy that he would want nothing but smiles. His big heart, kind eyes, and warm smile were his calling card in this life, and he had the remarkable gift of actually being able to see people as only a photojournalist could and empathize with them. He also knew how to love, forgive, joke, and laugh. He was a wonderful soul who will be missed; his heart was as big as the sky, but God made it weak so that he would not suffer the world’s cruelties which baffled him, like war and poverty, or lesser fools for too long.

Ramón was born in Tillamook, Oregon, where his father was stationed in the Air Force. Ramón had recently returned to Oregon and was living in Bend with dear friends, where he was starting an environmental journalism reporting web site. He told his friend Matthew it felt as if he was going home.

After his birth and a few years in Oregon, Ramón’s family returned to Madrid, Spain, where Ramón grew up under the regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. He spent many a happy day in “el campo,” as he called it—the village of Andujar in Jaen, which was the birthplace of his mother. Andujar was home in his heart, but he had many homes in his heart, and in the end, home was where his friends and family were. He was a traveler and a free spirit.

As a child in Spain, Ramón said he felt left out because he was not allowed to join the “Boy Scouts” with the other little boys. When he was older Ramón learned that the organization was for young fascists and he was excluded because he was American. He had a good chuckle over that. Ramón retained a deep affinity for Spain his whole life, spoke fluent Spanish, and even considered getting a Spanish citizenship over the past few years. He returned to Spain in 2000 after not seeing his family for more than 20 years. It was a thrilling and happy time for him to reunite with his numerous cousins and devoted Aunt, Joaquina.

Ramón was a veteran of the Navy, which he called “the Nav,” and he would have smiled knowing he died on Memorial Day Weekend. He was stationed in Key West, Florida. He attended Cuyahoga County Community College in Cleveland, Ohio and Ohio University School of Journalism in Athens, Ohio. Prior to becoming a photojournalist, he was a trained electrician, and wired navigation equipment for Navy jets.

After becoming a photojournalist, Ramón excelled. He traveled to El Salvador and Honduras in the 1980s, starting a career in international journalism and hardening his resolve against war and for peace. Injustice bit at him, and he was driven to document that and make the world a better place. Ramón won numerous awards in his lifetime, including a Best of Gannett Award in 2005 for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina, an AP Photographer of the Year Award in Ohio, a Ford environmental photography fellowship from the International Center for Journalists in Ecuador (2003), and a Knight Fellowship in Armenia (2003). He also earned fellowships in environmental journalism from the Society for Environmental Journalists in Baltimore, Maryland, and Atlanta, Georgia. His work appears in the Smithsonian Museum of American History from the Americanos project, in which he documented the lives of Hispanics in America; and several book projects, including a book about The Ohio State University, Americanos, and a book about Ecuador’s wildlife and ecosystems.

Ramón started his career as an intern at The Boston Globe, went on to work as an intern and then a photojournalist at The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, before heading to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. In 1998 he moved to Colorado and started a full-time freelance photography business. In 2004 Ramón was the photo editor at the Greeley (Colorado) Tribune. He volunteered for the Navajo Times, and had a deep affinity for Native peoples, their traditions, and beliefs. In 2005 he headed to Palm Springs, California, where he worked for the Desert Sun and covered Hurricane Katrina, the wildfires and their impact on the people and wildlife of the desert, and homelessness in the California desert communities. Ramón then worked as a photographer in Riverside, California, at the Press-Enterprise. After downsizing last September there, Ramón started Back in Green, a blog for environmental reportage. The earth and the environment were big concerns for Ramón, and he headed to Bend in his hybrid car to build Back in Green and bring attention to the environmental issues facing the world to try to effect change.

Ramón was preceded in death by his father, Amos Owens, a paternal uncle Ross, a paternal aunt Nelly, his paternal grandparents, a maternal aunt Maria in Spain and his maternal grandparents. He is survived by his mother, Mercedes Owens, Maple Heights, Ohio, and his younger brother and his wife, Francisco Owens and Camille Evans, Los Angeles, and their daughter and Ramón’s niece, Sophie. He is also survived in Spain by his Tia (Aunt) Joaquina, his Tio Antonio, and numerous cousins and second cousins.

Ramón’s father was of African-American and Seminole heritage. Ramón was thrilled when Barack Obama won the presidency and wished his father had lived to see that historic moment. We are all glad that Ramón did.

Ramón enjoyed hiking, running, and biking, in his words, “on trails overlooking mountain views.” He adored animals and the companionship of his dog, Lilly, sustained him. After her death he spent time volunteering at a local animal shelter in Palm Desert. He loved music and reading, and died in love with life and doing what he loved. We can all find solace in that.

On his facebook page he wrote “About Me: On the path to find the goodness and meaning to this life.” His favorite quote was an Irish blessing: “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

After a cremation in Oregon, a private memorial service is being held in Los Angeles, California. Memorial services are being organized in Palm Desert, Ohio, and Colorado and arrangements are pending.

Ramón was an advocate for the homeless, animals and was touched by the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims. Donations to local homeless shelters or food kitchens, The Humane Society, and the American Red Cross would honor Ramón’s memory.

Friends and family are creating a tribute site for Ramón. In the meantime you can share your memories of Ramón by becoming a fan at Ramon Mena Owens: A Tribute in Green on facebook.

May we all work to create the goodness and meaning that Ramón sought in life. Godspeed.