Oblate Deacon Owen (John David) Grimes

Oblate Deacon Owen (John David) Grimes of Kenilworth, N.J., passed away on Saturday, April 25, 2020, at Paramus Veterans Memorial Home in Paramus. He was 81.

Son of the late Lawrence and Dorothy (Smith) Grimes, he was born in Newark, N.J., on Sept. 12, 1938. He was raised in Sparta, N.J., then lived in Newton, N.J., before moving to Kenilworth.

He proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, retiring as a lieutenant commander. He owned and operated a restaurant from 1980 to 1983. From 1984 until 1987, he taught at Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, then worked for the State of New Jersey Department of Corrections before his retirement in 2000. He was ordained as a Deacon on May 3, 1986, by the Bishop of Paterson and became a Cloister Oblate at St. Paul’s Abbey on Jan. 25, 2009. His education was extensive and included his AA in Alcohol Studies from Seattle University, his bachelor of science degree in math/physics from Marquette University, his master's in guidance and counseling from Kean University, his master's in rehabilitation counseling from Seattle University, and his Diaconal Studies were at St. Elizabeth’s College.

Deacon Owen’s diaconal assignments included Assistant Pastor at St. James the Greater in Montague, N.J., and St. Thomas the Apostle in Hainesville, N.J., St. Joseph Church in Newton and Deacon at St. Barnabas Church in Bayville.

He was predeceased by his sisters, Elizabeth (Bette) Baker and Patricia (Pat) Ritchie. He is survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as his Brothers at Saint Paul’s Abbey.

Due to the coronavirus, the funeral Mass and burial in the abbey’s Christ the King Cemetery are limited to the monks of the abbey. Arrangements are under the direction of the Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, 63 High St., Newton. Memorial donations may be made to St. Paul’s Abbey, PO Box 7, Newton, NJ 07860.