Batesville Parks and Recreation director’s legacy remembered

BATESVILLE, Ark. (KAIT) - A man who lived to serve the public is remembered by those he worked with and who called him a dear friend.

City officials confirmed Jeff Owens passed away on Friday, June 6. Batesville Mayor Rick Elumbaugh said Owens was battling stomach and esophageal cancer.

Owens served as the Parks and Recreation director in Batesville since 2011. He was previously the Parks and Recreation director for the city of Jonesboro.

Elumbaugh said Owens wasn’t just a city employee, but his friend of more than 20 years.

“He definitely wanted to leave the world a better place, and you can drive around and see what he’s done for the city of Batesville Parks and Recreation,” he said.

Owens was the Parks and Recreation Director for nearly 14 years.

In that time, he brought several projects to life, from parks to the community center. He oversaw $65 million of improvements to the city.

“You drive down Main Street, a new greenway trail, a beautiful area, a landscape,” Elumbaugh said.

Owens’s dedication to public service wasn’t just to the community center he helped build, or to the parks he improved. He was also dedicated to saving lives as part of the Batesville Fire Department.

Owens served as a volunteer firefighter with the Batesville Fire Department since 2012.

Chief Mark McCollum said he wasn’t just running into fires.

“He was a member of the dive team. He was a diver with the dive team. He was on our high-angle rescue team. He was a part of just about every part of our team,” he said.

Owens said his commitment as a volunteer firefighter was greater than anyone could imagine.

“They’re not getting compensated hardly in any way. They’re the real heroes because they’re doing it for no other reason than to help people,” he said.

Elumbaugh said Owens was always ready for adventure. Shortly before his diagnosis last year, he participated in the Arkansas Gravel Ride in northern Arkansas.

Elumbaugh said he didn’t let cancer keep him from working.

“He worked all the way through. He either would show up in person or he would do it through Zoom,” he said.

Before Owen died, the city dedicated a court at the community center to him. They wanted to surprise him, and when the mayor texted him to get to the community center...

“He came back and he said, ‘Well, if you’re going to surprise someone, it’s probably a good idea not to have the bill sent to them. They sent the bill to Jeff,” Elumbaugh said.

The surprise might have been spoiled, but seeing it still moved him.

“When he got here, I think that gave him a little time to reflect. First thing he did was think of the employees,” he said.

A man who wanted to change the world and wanted no credit. Elumbaugh said his friend’s legacy will never be forgotten – he wants others to learn from who he was as a person.

“Just a person who cared deeply and made a difference in the city,” he said.

Mayor Elumbaugh mourned his passing in a statement provided to K8 News:

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced, but we will pass those details along once available.

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