Obituary of Owen Conley

Owen Conley, 23, died unexpectedly at his home in Chapel Hill, NC on January 12th, 2022.

The Lord blessed this world with Owen’s birth in Charlotte, NC on July 3, 1998. He is survived by his fur baby, Andy, his loving parents Richard and Carolyn Conley, his maternal Grandmother Nancy Kleinbauer Owens and paternal Grandfather, Richard S. Conley, Aunts Lori Conley, Donna Waite, Kellie Conley and Uncle Michael Waite, Cousins and Grand Aunts and Uncles.  He is preceded in death by his Maternal Grandfather, George Owens, Paternal Grandmother Ruthann Conley and Uncle Roger Owens.

He was born and raised in Concord, NC.  He graduated from JM Robinson High School and led the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and was a board member at Time Out Youth. Alongside his activism and community service, Owen had a passion for music, playing percussion in marching band.

He pursued a Geography degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was an active member of the Campus Y.  He worked at Aromatic Roasters, Pittsboro, NC, full time and looking to further his education in a graduate program.

Owen loved to travel and had the honor of becoming a Global Year Fellow and traveled overseas and touched so many lives.  He volunteered at Samos Refugee Camp in Greece and “A Place to be Yourself” a safe place for LGBTQ+ and everyone to visit in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Owen was a sweet, loving, giving and compassionate young man.  He made the world a better place.  He would see people who were struggling, and his first instinct was to help.

He left this world way too soon and his legacy will continue to live in the hearts of so many.

He was so loved and adored by his friends, family and acquaintances.

“But whatever however whenever this ends, I want you to know that right now I love you forever."- 'How It Ends'. Andrea Gibson

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? -Psalm 27:1

We ask all those who had the privilege of knowing Owen to share memories and pictures to [emailtbd].

A celebration of life will be held January 22, 2022, 2:00-5:00 at the Campus Y, 180 East Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, NC 27599

A celebration of life will also be held in Concord, NC.  Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced at a later date.    

In lieu of flowers, make memorial contributions to the Campus Y,

180A East Cameron Ave., CB#5155, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.  Write “In Memory of Owen Conley’ in the memo line.  You can also give online at http://campusy.unc.edu/make-a-gift/.

In order to honor our beloved Owen, we  have decided to create the Owen Conley Memorial Scholarship. We would love for those who loved Owen to donate using one of the following methods:

Option 1: https://jmrobinsonptso.square.site/

Option 2: Using Venmo @jmrhs_ptso
Make sure to mention Owen Conley Memorial Scholarship in the memo