Kevin J. Owings

Kevin Owings’ (62) last day on earth was ideal as he spent Easter Sunday with his family. He fixed them one of his trademark meals and then sat in his chair and listened to their happy laughter as they all played games. When the family left, he and Sherry were looking at pictures of a motor home he was hoping to buy when he quietly passed away from a heart attack with Sherry and one of his dogs by his side.

Kevin was born Feb. 7, 1962 in Twin Falls to Kenny and Violet Owings joining siblings Keith, Dan, and Sandy. He grew up and attended school in Twin Falls and later married his high school sweetheart Sherry Webster on Nov. 29, 1980.  They were blessed with 3 sons – Dustin, Tyler, and Jason.

After working at Maxie’s for a few years, Kevin decided to open his own restaurant.  Most people remember The Hangar restaurant at the airport for its all-you-can-eat pizza and so many fans that the overflow crowd ate in the baggage area. When the business outgrew the location, they purchased an old oil distributing building and converted it into Gertie’s Brick Oven Cookery.   Gertie’s was best known for the numerous varieties of pizzas. People would come from miles around for the Idaho, Sauerkraut, Hot Mama, and dessert pizzas.  Even with two levels of seating to accommodate customers, patrons often had to wait in line to get a table.  After 34 years of serving the community in the restaurant business, they made the difficult decision to close Gertie’s in 2021 and enjoy retirement.

Kevin and Sherry bought a farm south of Kimberly where Kevin spent countless hours, first designing the house to be built, and then landscaping the property. The family’s favorite place to gather was down in the canyon on their property where Kevin created a picnic area for them. Kevin loved to keep busy which led to him having many hobbies. Being an Owings, at the top of the list was flying and he got his pilot’s license as soon as possible. He and Sherry loved to fly to the Oregon coast and to Montana to bring their granddaughter Lydia to their home for a visit. Kevin was very proud of the A&P Mechanics License he received after going back to school to further his education.  He also liked building and flying RC planes. Snowmobiling was another passion and he spent many winters blazing new trails with his sons. He enjoyed traveling and the Oregon Coast was one of his favorite places to visit.  He and Sherry also loved cruising. Their trip of a lifetime was a 10-day adventure in Ireland with Kevin’s brother, sister, and their spouses.

Kevin and Sherry loved having their grandson Hazen live close by. They felt fortunate to be able to pick him up from school when he was younger and to be able to watch him grow through the years.  They are very proud of their granddaughter Lydia who is in her first year of the Master’s of Counseling Clinical Medical Health program at the University of Montana.

Kevin was preceded in death by his brother Dan and his parents Kenny and Violet Owings. He is survived by his wife Sherry of 43 years; his sons Dustin (Tiffany), Tyler, and Jason; Grandchildren Lydia, Hazen, Clay, Abby, Audrey, and Jade; his dogs Sage, Bentley, and Charlotte; siblings Keith (Vickie) and Sandy (Bill) Paul, as well as his nephews and niece who love their Uncle Kevin.

While we feel that Kevin’s time with us on earth was way too short, we know he is being welcomed into heaven by his brother, his parents, and other relatives and friends. We feel comforted knowing we will see him again someday.