lit a candle 1h agoI never knew Mary but our PEO chapter here in Colorado shared her obituary and it stopped me cold. Ninety one years, married 63 of them, still singing in the choir and treading the boards at Lofte into her later years. I said a prayer for her today even though we never met, just one sister for another.
Their story
Mary Lea (Domingo) Owens was a lifelong Nebraskan who spent more than nine decades rooted in the small towns and communities of the state, first in Weeping Water and later in Lincoln. She was not a figure of national fame, but within her own communities she was known as a…
Mary Lea (Domingo) Owens was a lifelong Nebraskan who spent more than nine decades rooted in the small towns and communities of the state, first in Weeping Water and later in Lincoln. She was not a figure of national fame, but within her own communities she was known as a dedicated volunteer, a churchwoman, a school board member, and an enthusiastic amateur actress who found joy performing on a small-town stage well into adulthood.
She was born on February 4, 1935, in Weeping Water, Nebraska, to Frank Jennings Domingo and Mildred (Noble) Domingo. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she majored in Business Education and graduated with honors in May 1956. While a student there she was initiated into the PEO sisterhood, a women's philanthropic organization that she remained connected to for the rest of her life. That same year, on May 12, 1956, she married James R. "Jim" Owens.
In 1963 Mary and her family settled in Weeping Water, where she became a visible presence in civic and religious life. She served as a choir member, Sunday School teacher, and bulletin secretary at the Congregational Church, took part in a local women's club, and sat on both the Weeping Water School Board and the Board of Directors of the Nebraska State Bank. She also performed with the Lofte Community Theatre, where one of the roles she was known for was Eliza Doolittle in a local production of "My Fair Lady."
In 1991, Mary and Jim moved to Lincoln, where she continued her involvement in community life through Vine Congregational Church and, in her later years, the Eastmont Retirement Community. Her husband Jim died in 2019 after 63 years of marriage. Mary is survived by her two children, Cindy Naughton of Massachusetts and Tim Owens of Columbus, Nebraska, by six grandchildren, and by three great grandchildren.
Mary Lea (Domingo) Owens died on November 8, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the age of 91. Her death was announced through a funeral home obituary. No cause of death has been made public, and no memorial service details beyond the family notice have been reported at this time.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Legacy | Obituary.
Photos
1by People Forever
same sisterhood, same chapter, this one touched a lot of us