Owen Elmer Belville Jr., was born in Merrick County, NE, the son of Owen Elmer Belville and Phyllis Bernice Frye. He grew up on a farm west of Central City, NE. He attended Central City High School and Nebraska State College before entering West Point in July of 1950. He was appointed to West Point by Congressman Steffan of Nebraska’s 3rd District after receiving the highest score in the state on the qualifying test for the Academy. While at West Point he was active in the Debate Council. He also joined the Golf, Handball, Sailing, and Ski Clubs. Owen valued his four years at West Point, where he made many close friends and had many happy memories. He was very proud to be a graduate of the Academy. Owen’s father passed away on March 5th, 1954, only a few months before Owen’s graduation, leaving his sister (age 11) and paternal grandmother (age 72) as his only surviving family.

After graduation, Owen was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and reported to Fort Monmouth, NJ, for Officer Training. From Fort Monmouth, Owen completed Ranger Training at Fort Benning, GA. He then reported to the Division Signal Company of the 8th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, CO, and in 1956 was sent to Taiwan for a tour of duty. Owen resigned from the military in 1957 primarily because of the responsibility he felt for his sister and aging grandmother who were then living in Riverside, CA. In the fall of 1957, Owen attended the University of California at Berkeley. After graduate school, Owen worked in management at Kaiser Steel for a short time.

He then began his career working for the Department of Defense as a Physicist in the Aerospace Division. He retired in 1990 from the Naval Lab which was located at Point Loma in San Diego, CA. Owen enjoyed life and loved people. He made many close friends and lived life to the fullest. He was very much loved by his sister and her family. Owen’s favorite pastimes were golf and skiing. When he was younger, Owen also enjoyed hiking with friends in the High Sierras and motorcycle riding in places like Baja and Death Valley. Owen loved to travel and took many great vacations with family and friends. He was married to Judith Kathleen Bird for seventeen years and they remained close throughout his life. Owen brought joy to all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

— Linda Belville Hunemuller, Sister