Steven Owens was a man who meant no harm when he told people to “F— off.”
“He was easily fired up, but it was kind of a playful thing,” his son, Zachary Owens, told McClatchy News.
It was this sassy yet endearing spirit that the Owens children tried to capture on their father’s headstone after he died at the age of 59 in September.
“Forever in our hearts.
Until we meet again.
Cherished memories.
Known as.
Our son, brother.
Father, Papa, Uncle.
Friend & cousin,” reads the headstone, which marks Steven Owens’ grave at Powers-Warren Cemetery in Runnells, Iowa, which is about 20 miles southeast of Des Moines.
A casual passerby might not notice anything out of the ordinary on the headstone, but on closer inspection, one can see that, when reading downward, the first letter of each phrase spells out “F— off.”
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When managers at the cemetery saw a drawing of the design, they took issue with it, Steven Owens’ daughter, Lindsay Owens, told McClatchy News. But the company that made the headstone, Wittenbeck Memorial in Ankeny, told the cemetery that unless a court injunction was issued to prevent them from putting it in, they would go forward with the installation.
A phone number for Powers-Warren Cemetery could not be found. A message left at Runnells City Hall by McClatchy News was not returned. Wittenbeck Memorial did not return a request for comment.
Lindsay Owens said that since the headstone was installed over two weeks ago, one person has submitted an anonymous complaint to a local news outlet.
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