Stockport woman dies in house fire

STOCKPORT – A Stockport woman has perished in a house fire.

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release on Friday, Aug. 29 indicating that Lesley Owens, 44, died at 110 Honeymoon Street in Stockport, where authorities had been dispatched that morning at 6:30 a.m. in response to a structure fire.

Fire departments from Stockport, Birmingham, Keosauqua and Bonaparte were dispatched, along with the Van Buren County Ambulance. Owens’ body was submitted to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, and the Iowa State Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire. The news release from the sheriff’s office indicated that donations for the family can be made at State Central Bank in Stockport.

A friend of the family, Michael Houk, started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Owens’ family, her husband Shawn and their three children.

“In the blink of an eye, this loving father went from a happy home to unimaginable loss,” Houk wrote on the page. “The fire not only destroyed their house and possessions, but also left a family forever changed.”

Houk set a goal of raising $7,000, and as of Thursday, Sept. 4, the page had garnered $6,280 in donations. Money will go toward securing stable housing, clothing, food, furniture, long-term recovery and rebuilding.

“Let’s surround this family with the love, support, and compassion they so deeply need during this time of unimaginable grief,” Houk wrote.

Owens’ obituary from Cranston Family Funeral Home states that she was born in Fairfield and graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 2000. Beginning in 2004, she worked as a medical assistant at Fairfield Clinic, serving both Richland and Fairfield.

Jefferson County Health Center announced that all of its clinics will be closed on Friday, Sept. 5 so that staff can attend Owens’ funeral at 10:30 a.m. at Cranston Family Funeral Home in Fairfield. The news release referred to Owens as a “long-time and cherished member of the JCHC team.” The closure will affect the JCHC Clinics in Fairfield and Richland, and the JCHC Walk-In Clinic. The JCHC Emergency Department will remain open. The two Fairfield clinics will reopen on Saturday, and the Richland clinic will reopen on Monday.

“We sincerely appreciate the community’s understanding during this time as we honor the memory of our colleague,” stated the news release from JCHC.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com