As received from the O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home. If you have questions about, or potential corrections to the content, please contact the funeral home directly.
In Loving Memory of Nova Lee Thornhill (Owens)
January 20, 1950 – June 29, 2026
After a prolonged illness, our beloved mother passed away peacefully on June 29, 2026, in her family home in Dollar Bay, Michigan. She spent her final months surrounded by love, cared for by her daughter, Natalie with the compassionate support of hospice in her final days, ensuring she was comfortable and at peace.
She was preceded in death by her beloved dogs, Mosey Lee and Willard; her daughter, Christie Lee Brooks; her beloved mother, Twila and step father Jerry Klemic; her father, Frank Owens; and her two brothers Ralph and Kevin Owens.
She leaves behind the three cats she adored so deeply, Dutchess, Teddy, and Willa James as well as her loving daughters, Marcie Cross of California, Jennifer Brooks of Oregon, Natalie Este (Thornhill) of Michigan, along with many cherished family members and lifelong friends whose lives she touched in countless ways.
For more than 45 years, she called Bandon, Oregon, home where she was captivated and made one with the ocean since she was a little girl. She devoted her life to serving others as a hospice caretaker walking beside people during the most sacred moments of their lives. Many affectionately called her “the Death Angel,” not out of fear, but because she had a remarkable gift for bringing comfort, dignity, and peace to those taking their final journey.
She was an artist at heart, expressing herself through beautiful artwork and published poetry. She possessed a laugh so joyful and contagious that it could light up an entire room. She was fiercely independent, wonderfully stubborn, and incredibly strong, yet beneath that determination was one of the kindest, most loving hearts anyone could ever know.
Her legacy is not measured only by the years she lived, but by the compassion she gave so freely, the people she comforted, the family she loved, and the light she carried into every room she entered.
Though our hearts are broken, we find peace knowing she spent a lifetime helping others find theirs. Now, it is her turn to rest. The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home is assisting with the arrangements. Please go to http://www.oneilldennisfh.com to leave online condolences.
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