Obituaries: Jimmy Owens

September 7, 1943 – January 24, 2025
Born James Miller Owens in Dallas, Texas to James Floyd Owens and Mary Ruth (Hummel) Owens, he was 81 years young.

Jimmy “escaped” Dallas at 18 years of age on a westbound Greyhound bus with $20 in his pocket and a cardboard suitcase. He had never been west of Fort Worth, but made his way to San Francisco, where he found nirvana and flourished. After many white-collar jobs, he found his way to bartending with his natural social skills, becoming a partner in Sutter’s Mill in the mid-1970s. It was an upscale Financial District watering hole for professional gays.

Jimmy had come into his own with his charming and outgoing personality, making a multitude of friends and acquaintances, many lifelong. Jimmy survived the AIDS pandemic, but lost countless loved ones to the plague. He never forgot them as his world narrowed.

In 1979, he met the love of his life, Stephen Yokoi, while living above the Castro district in the city. They eventually settled in Brisbane, California as first-time homeowners. Nine years of DIY, both inside and out, a house was transformed into a home while hosting many dinners and parties. Jimmy and Stephen eventually moved to the Berkeley Hills in 1993 after Jimmy was promoted with Pacific Bell to San Ramon and Stephen’s job site with Caltrans moved to Oakland. They married in 2008, just in time before Proposition 8 passed.

Berkeley ended up being their forever home. As garden enthusiasts, they transported numerous full-sized trees and plants from Brisbane. Over the next 32 years, the garden became the envy of the neighborhood. Jimmy’s other interests included books, music, photography, and politics. He loved sharing his individualized picture cards, each with personalized accompanying prose.

Genealogy was a lifelong obsession. Jimmy and Stephen traveled throughout the U.S. and U.K. tracing Jimmy’s roots, and connecting with distant relatives whom he found doing original research. They also visited Japan to meet Stephen’s relatives and paternal ancestral village. They were immediately embraced by family.

Jimmy fought and survived multiple cancer diagnoses, the first of which was in 1981. By all accounts, he was a miracle patient and invincible for decades. He did everything he could to stay with us this last time.

Jimmy lived for his “loved ones.” He established friendships wherever he went his entire life, including his last caregivers he befriended just days before passing. You could not have had a better friend than Jimmy. Jimmy’s extraordinary life was filled with unconditional love.

Jimmy was predeceased by his sister, Eva Louise Farmer, and his parents. He is survived by his beloved husband and partner of 45 years, Stephen Yokoi; sister Jeanene Owens of Mesquite, Texas; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A private gathering of his loved ones to celebrate Jimmy’s life will be held in May in Jimmy’s Garden. In honor of Jimmy, please reach out to a loved one. Tell them how much they mean to you.