1982-2025
Jeanelle Sierra Owings was born Sept. 29, 1982, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and passed away Sept. 29, 2024, in El Paso, Texas.
Jeanelle is survived by her mother, Chaline Owings; sister, Autumn Holm; brother, Alan Burfeind; Uncle Denny and Aunt Cindy Taylor; Aunt Madeline Hoke; cousins, Madeleine and Kerrissa; and nieces, Haley Holm and Aspen Burfeind.
Jeanelle grew up in Indian Falls and later Greenville. She loved being close to her grandparents, who lived in Indian Falls, swimming in the river, picking blackberries and cooking with grandma. She attended both Greenville and Taylorsville Elementary schools and Greenville High School. She had many acquaintances and friends in Indian Valley. Jeanelle was part of the homecoming court during her time at Greenville High School.
She earned a master’s degree in sociology and eventually moved to Portland, Oregon, where she lived for over 20 years. She loved the outdoors, camping, hiking, snowboarding, music, art, writing and dresses! She enjoyed driving and worked jobs that had her driving all over Oregon. She loved hanging out with friends, family, traveling, meeting new people and had a heart for helping others.
Friends remember her sense of humor and laugh. She could be silly, serious, sad and thoughtful. Jeanelle was creative, clever, resourceful and motivated. She was a strong, resilient person.
After her recent move to Juarez, Mexico, where she had been living for three years, she was still in touch with friends, classmates and neighbors in Indian Valley.
She died suddenly, tragically, on her 42nd birthday. She was kept medically alive and flown to Dallas, Texas, for organ harvesting that was completed Oct. 4, 2024.
Her remains were returned to Greenville Sept. 27, 2025, and a small family memorial was held in her honor on her birthday.
