Former Lavonia Mayor Ralph Owens dies

There will be a Friday funeral for Ralph Owens, the former mayor of Lavonia who passed away this week at the age of 84. Owens, Lavonia’s Mayor from 1989 through 2019, will be laid to rest after an afternoon service at the First Baptist Church in Lavonia.

From the City of Lavonia…

“We are saddened by the passing of former Mayor Ralph Owens. He served the City of Lavonia with dedication and distinction for more than thirty years.  During that time, he was instrumental in Lavonia’s industrial and economic growth.

Through his tenure as Mayor, he served as a board member for the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority, the Franklin/Hart/Stephens Joint Development Authority, and the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission.

He was recognized for his dedication to the City with a number of awards, including the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission’s “Elected Official of the Year” and the Lavonia Chamber of Commerce’s “Good Citizen of the Year”.

We will endeavor to continue his legacy by doing as he did… looking after the best interests of the City that he loved.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mayor Owens’ family and his many friends during this difficult time.”

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