Annette Owens was born in Selma, Alabama on March 29, 1934 to Ezelle and Nettie Ford.  One of nine, Annette grew up in a house filled with lots of love and compassion.  After the untimely death of her mother, Annette dropped out of school to help her father care for her siblings.  It was then that she developed her joy for cooking.

Annette accepted Christ at an early age and her love for God showed forth in her relationships with everyone she met.  She attended church every week with her family.  Annette was always praying for the those around her and did not hesitate to worship God any chance she got.

In 1969, Annette moved her family to Cleveland, Ohio.  It was in Cleveland that she met her husband Hoover Owens.  As the matriarch of her family, Annette was a loving and kind person who was willing to help anyone she could.  She provided her home as a safe haven for many and did not hesitate to open her door to anyone that needed it.  She played an integral role in the lives of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Annette worked as a supervisor for the CMHA Summer Job Program and was known for feeding the workers and the community – even if that meant enlisting the support of her children.

Annette was a strong-willed, independent woman who was not afraid to speak her mind.  She stood up for what was right and did not hesitate to tell it like it was – no matter how hard it was to face.  But because she was also an encouraging woman, she pushed her family and those around her to face those truths head on.  She was known as a fighter and fought up until the time God called her home.

Annette was proceeded in death by her parents, Ezelle and Nettie Ford; her husband, Hoover Owens; her two sisters, Ophelia Gresham, and Della Kendrick; and her two brothers, L. C. Ford and Bennie Ford.

Annette leaves to cherish her memory her sister Rennie Gordon and her three bothers: J. D. Ford, Ezelle Ford, and Eugene Ford; her children Joe (Michelle), Aubrey, John (Vendetta), Marvin, Marie, Bobby (Michelle), Shirley (Alvin), Jerome (Nancy), Sherry (Paul), Lakeshia, and Antionette (Neil).  She also leaves a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and outside relatives.  Known as “Mother” to most, “Granny” to many, “Momma Ford” to some, and “Nanny Deb” to one; Annette Owen’s legacy will continue to live on in the lives of everyone she’s met.