LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Darryl Owenswas not the biggest fanof drawn-out speeches and those who took longer than neededto get a point across.
But his array of family, friends and former colleagues needed plenty of time during his funeral Tuesdayto fully honor and celebrate the life of the civil rights leader who broke many barriers as a Louisvilleand state elected official.
Remembering all of his achievements and his impact could have kept the over 100 funeral attendees at St. Stephen Church "until next year," as longtime WAVE 3 News anchor Dawne Gee told the crowd before she introduced each speaker.
Owens died Jan. 4 at age 84 after living with Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
Background:Former Kentucky state lawmaker, civil rights leader and 'quiet warrior' Darryl Owens dies
He is survived by his wife Brenda Lucien Owens, daughters Deborah Owens and Dedra Owens,stepson Desmond Sweatt and sisters Patricia Herring and Leslie Tucker.
The quiet, trailblazing public servant grew up in Smoketown's Sheppard Square public housing before becoming a man of numerous firsts.
Among his career milestones were becoming the first Black assistant attorney general in Kentucky, the first Black countywide officeholder through his role on the Jefferson County Fiscal Court and the first Black president of the Legal Aid Society.He also ran for mayor.
The Army veteran was also a juvenile court judge, state representative for the 43rd District in Jefferson County from 2005 to 2018 and president of the NAACP's Louisville branch, in addition to serving with the Urban League, University of Louisville board of trustees and several local and state government advisory boards.
"The thing that made him beloved as a community leader and the thing that made him a phemonenal father were very simple," Deborah Owens said. "He showed up every day. He showed up on good days, and he showed up on bad days, and he showed up for as many people as he could. When he showed up, you knew you were not alone."
Dedra Owens spoke of three hashtags to describe her father: #GirlDad (he attended "every dance recital," she said), #ForTheCulture (he proudly graduated from and supported institutions like Central High School, Central State University and Howard University) and #BlackExcellence (he surrounded himself with strong Black leaders and inspired a new generation to lead).
Tucker said she lovingly called her brother "big head" and appreciated phone calls with him, where he could "be himself" and not only talk about politics.
Owens "always picked up the phone" and spoke with his family, Deborah Owens added, though she shared that his "fiscally responsible" tendencies made him call his girls on Fridays, a daywhen the MCI phone calls at the time were free.
NAACP Louisville President Raoul Cunninghamused a different word than Deborah Owens to describe his longtime friend— "cheap."
Owens was credited with calming the unrest after the deaths of 10 people during civil rights demonstrations in 1968 and after firebombings at Zion Baptist Church and the Newburg Community Center.
His higher-profile legal work also included when he volunteered in 1973 as one of the lawyers for the NAACP in its historic lawsuit to desegregate local schools.Owenslater said the threats at home got so bad he had to instruct his daughters not to answer the phone.
Cunningham, who served as Owens' campaign manager for his county commissioner race and for his 1985 mayoral bid that came up short against Jerry Abramson, said Owens "was principally responsible for the legislation that desegregated Louisville and Jefferson County schools."
"We thought that battle had been completedand was fixed," Cunningham said. "But today ...if we look at the student assignmentthat is facing us, a gap in education, the need for a lack of police in our public schools, these educational issues are facing us."
Others who spoke Tuesday about Owens during parts of the funeral program titled "Life," "Love" and "Leadership"included Carolyn Harris, a former classmate friend of 72 years, state Sen. Gerald Neal,state Rep. Joni Jenkins, Judge Irv Maze, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Gov. Andy Beshear, who ordered state office buildings' flags to fly at half-staff Tuesday in honor of Owens.
Gerald Neal on Darryl Owens:The commonwealth lost a tremendous, thoughtfuland decent man
Beshear said when he was attorney general before becoming governor, he was pushed by Owens each day "to fight for what is right and what is just." Beshear said Owens also was by his sidefor one of his first acts as governor— restoring voting rights to over 140,000 convicted felons in Kentucky with completed sentences.
Owens retired from the Kentucky House in 2018. But as a state representative, hewas the architect of the Economic Opportunities Act, which promoted minority-owned businesses in Louisville, and of landmark felony expungement legislation in 2016.
An open housing advocate, he also helped pass suchmeasures as a landlord-tenant act through Jefferson County Fiscal Court.
Giving the eulogy, Pastor Kevin Cosby of St. Stephen Church noted Owens was born in 1937, the year of the "Great Flood" in Louisville.
"The waters of the Ohio subsided," Cosby said, referring to the river. "The waters of injustice have yet to subside ... (but) to some degree they have subsided, and that is because of the work of Darryl Owens."
He was "God's great lawyer," Cosby added, and there has "never been a greater statesman in the history of the commonwealth" than Owens.
Speaking to Brenda Owens as he closed his remarks, Cosby notedthe gathering of family and friends Tuesday stayed nearly three hours for the entire funeral. That is because "Darryl Owens was worth it," the pastor concluded.
The service concluded with a vocalist belting out "My Way," relating to a quote fromOwens that appeared again on a projector: "I did it my way."
Let the record show, let it show,
You took some blows, and did it your way. Oh, your way.
This story has been updated.
Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com.
