Funeral services for Owen Merl Kesner, 100, West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 30, 2026, at the Langston Street Chapel of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.

Owen Merl Kesner passed away Friday, October 23, 2026, after a long, happy life spent thinking first of the needs of his wife, family and friends. Owen was born in Tecumseh, Missouri, on August 26, 1926, to Kenneth and Virginia Bailey Kesner. He attended schools in Ozark County and in 1955 married the love of his life, Barbara Zoe Miller of Bakersfield. They settled in Liberty, where they raised two boys, and where Owen worked for more than 35 years as a welder for Trans World Airlines. After his retirement in the late 1980’s they moved to West Plains to be near their many family members in the Ozarks, where nearly everyone knew Owen as “Hoot.” He was a master mechanic practically from birth, always curious about how things worked and might be made better, not just repaired. When electricity finally came to the family’s cane mill and timber farm, a young Owen fashioned a mount and then wired a motor to his mom’s old washtub. Everywhere he lived Owen was a sought-after auto mechanic, and neighbors could depend on him for help as a willing and skilled carpenter, plumber and electrician. At TWA, he earned a reputation for innovation, problem-solving, precision and artistry that made him their go-to for complex welding on generations of airliners, from the propellor-driven Lockheed Constellation to Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets. Throughout the decades, Owen’s wife and kids always came first. His ever-even temperament was complemented by a dry and sly sense of humor – he was a provider of smiles and stability as well as shelter, food and school clothes. He loved long car trips “out West” through the Rockies or Badlands, and the family spent many weekends in their small camper at lake Pomme de Terre, often with close friends from Liberty.

Owen is survived by his sons, Kenneth Kesner of Huntsville, Alabama, and Jeffery Kesner and wife, Lori, of West Plains; three grandchildren, Patrick Kesner, Chad Bosley, and Debra Bennett; nine great-grandchildren; and multiple nieces and nephews, including Linda and Jim Marchand, with whom he was particularly close.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 71 years, Barbara Zoe Kesner; his parents; one infant son, Patrick Kesner of Liberty, Missouri; brothers Dale and Wayman Kesner, and Bill, Don, Joe and Tom Bailey; sisters Roxie Miller, Bonnie Reynolds, Velma Doty, Dickie Upshaw, Beulah Hamilton, Maxine Wolff, Minnie Thompson and Ethel Bailey.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m., Friday, at the Langston Street Chapel of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home. Burial will be at Udall Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to United Freewill Baptist Church or Udall Cemetery, and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 W. Main St., West Plains, Missouri.