Charles Theodore Owen

Jun. 14, 1941 - Nov. 3, 2026

Charles Theodore Owen (aka Ted Owen) went to join his Heavenly Father on Tuesday, November 3.

Born in Beech Grove, Indiana to James and Helen Owen on June14, 1941, Ted was raised in South Bend (which began a life-long love of all things Notre Dame).

Entering the United States Marine Corps In 1959, he rose to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant before receiving a commission in 1972. He saw service in Vietnam in late 1967-68 as a Combat Photographer/Journalist and Editor of the military paper The MACV Observer.

Returning to the U.S., he was sent to HQMC in Washington, D.C. ( A highlight of his service there was he was selected to be on the national college recruiting poster “Ask A Marine.” (A little startling to see his likeness going by on all the mail trucks.) Later he was sent to the Defense Information School in Indianapolis, Indiana (a joint services school then located there) to teach radio-TV-newspaper writing. He also saw duty at Camp Pendleton as Deputy Public Affairs Officer of

the 1st Marine Division/PAO of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and then served as PAO at the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot before retiring in 1981 after 22 years.

Throughout his Marine service he went to school and received degrees from Vincennes University, Chapman University, and National University where he received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration in 1984.

Ted retired from the service to join the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce as Vice President Military Affairs. Later he became President & CEO of the San Diego Business Journal and, in 2004, he joined the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce as President & CEO, from where he retired in 2019. Some of his awards as a civilian included the “Distinguished Citizen Award” from the Boy Scouts of America Desert Pacific Council; Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce “Distinguished Leadership Award”; he was a Past Chair of the San

Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau; Co-founder of San Diego Crimestoppers; Past President of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club; and a member of the Hi-Noon Rotary Club of Carlsbad. He received 2 Paul Harris Fellow awards from Rotary International.

He met the love of his life while on recruiting duty in Cleveland, Ohio. At the request of the NBC Radio Station there for “live body” recruiting spots instead of canned recordings, he showed up to record the spots and fell in love with the station’s Public Affairs Executive Assistant, Kathleen Dellaria. They married 4 months later ( April, 1967) just prior to his leaving for duty in Vietnam. They were married 59 1/2 years.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by sister-in-law Nancy Owen; nephew Randall Owen (Valerie); neices Roberta Bostrom (Marc), Cheryl Owen and Pamela Pannell (Bruce); great nephews Bradley Owen (Sarah), Troy Owen (Jacquie), Christopher Pannell, Will Bostrom (Stephanie) and great neices Deona Brown (Neil), Elizabeth Voskuil (Andrew), and Heather Bird (Wayne). He is also survived by 12 great-great nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his father and mother, James and Helen Owen, and his brother Robert Owen.

Burial will be at Miramar National Cemetary in San Diego.

11/09/2026 DEC