Thomas Jasper Owen Jr. "Coach" Thomas Jasper "Coach "Owen Jr., age 78, of Gastonia, North Carolina, formerly of Fayetteville and Elizabethtown, North Carolina, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday evening, June 30, 2010 at the Levine-Dickson Hospice House in Huntersville, North Carolina. Tommy was born on September 13, 1931 to proud parents Lella Lee and Thomas Jasper Owen and was the fifth child of seven including his beloved brothers Carlyle, Monroe, Hubert and Austin, and adored sisters Hazel and Sara. Tommy was raised in the small Bladen County community of Elizabethtown surrounded by his loving family and a host of family friends. He enjoyed most, the hot, humid days of summer, swimming and fishing on the Cape Fear River near his family home. After graduation from Elizabethtown High School, Tommy was accepted to and entered East Carolina Teachers College, now East Carolina University, where he studied Heath and Physical Education and was a member of the Men